Naruto and the Guardians
by w.i.t.c.h fan in ut
Summary: When the guardians and Elyon drop into Naruto's world their lives get turned upside down when they meet the Konoha Twelve. Adventure, friendship, secrets, and romance will await these girls on their newest journey. Better then it sounds. R & R
1. Chapter 1

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W.I.T.C.H. fan: Well here is yet another cross over only it's W.I.T.C.H. and Naruto. I've recently become obsessed with those two shows together and I couldn't help myself. Okay this story is set after the Naruto Shippuden just so you know. And I've only seen the English version of Naruto so bear with me please.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and I make no profit from this story

'Thinking'

_'Telepathic talking'_

"Talking"

**Chapter one**

Will Vandom, the 17 red head keeper of the heart of Candracar, groggily awoke as the phone rang. She groped her hand around until she gripped the phone.

"Who in their right mind is calling me during summer break, when I need my precious sleep?!" She muttered. "Hello?" She said sleepily.

"Hey Will, it's Taranee," The 16 year old's voice replied.

"What is it?" Will mumbled, still tired.

"I think you better make an astral drop and get over to the Dragon A.S.A.P," The fire guardian said.

"Why, is something wrong?" Will asked, now fully awake.

"Blunk just dropped in from Meridian. Elyon's gone missing," Taranee replied.

Will shot up. "WHAT!?" She cried.

"Will, are you okay?" Her mother called from the kitchen.

"Fine mom," Will called back. "Okay I'll be there soon," Will told Taranee before hanging up.

Will quickly got dressed and held out the heart to make the astral drop. She wrote down a very detailed list for the drop, transformed and flew out the window to meet her friends. It had been two years since they defeated Nerissa and the guardians hadn't had to do much butt kicking since. But now it looked like more trouble was on the way.

* * *

Five minutes later she met her friends in the alley behind the Sliver Dragon. They were all standing around Blunk trying to get details out of him.

"How could Elyon have just disappeared?" Cornelia asked

"Queenie sitting on throne and then queenie gone," Blunk replied.

"Are you positive that's what happened?" Irma asked.

"Blunk pretty sure."

"Do you think she went to another dimension?" Will asked Blunk.

"Blunk not know," The passling shrugged.

"Let's head over to Meridian and figure this out," Will said holding up the heart.

* * *

Later the guardians were standing Elyon's palace talking with Julian, Drake, and Caleb.

"I don't get it. One minute Queen Elyon is fine and sitting on her throne and then she just vanishes," Drake said.

"What was she doing when she disappeared?" Hay Lin asked.

"She was just sitting on her throne looking at a book," Julian said.

"What kind of book?" Taranee asked.

"Just some book on the different dimensions," Caleb explained.

"Can we take a look at it?" Will asked.

Julian walked over to a table and picked up an old looking book. He handed it to Will. We've all looked through it trying to find out if it's what made Elyon vanish, but so far we haven't found a clue," The older man explained.

Will opened the book and the girls crowded around her to look in it. Will flipped through a couple pages until she came to one with weird writing written in gold letters. The Heart began to vibrate and the writing in the book started to glow. Seconds later a bright light filled the room and when the light disappeared, the guardian were gone and the book was lying on the floor.

* * *

Will sat up rubbing her head. "What the heck was that?" She muttered. Then she looked around and realized that they weren't in Elyon's palace anymore. Instead they were all on the ground in a forest.

"What happened?" Cornelia asked standing up.

"I'm not sure," Will replied. "But I think we're not in Meridian anymore."

"Great," Irma muttered. "Well it's a good thing we made astral drops."

"Do you think this is where Elyon is?" Taranee asked.

"Possibly," Hay Lin said. "But let's find out where we are first."

Will nodded. "Okay how about we-"

She was cut off when a group of men came out of nowhere and surrounded the guardians. All of them wore animal masks, armor, and weapons.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" One man asked.

"Uh w-we actually have no idea where we are," Will stuttered.

"Well who are you?" Another man asked.

Will could tell that her friends were just as freaked out as she was. She gulped nervously before answered. "We won't tell you who were are if you don't tell us who you are," She said.

"We are the ANBU black ops, ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village," A man, who seemed to be the leader, said.

_'Will I don't like this guys,'_ Taranee voice said in Will's head.

'_Neither do I,'_ Will replied.

_'What should we do?'_ Cornelia asked.

_'I say we attack and then make a run for it,'_ Irma said.

"I will ask you one more time. Who are you and what do you want?" The leader asked impatiently.

"Now!" Will cried.

Instantly the girls shot earth, water, air, fire, and lightning at the ANBU black ops and then flew off. When they looked behind them the men were following them at an alarming speed.

"Oh man, those guys are fast!" Hay Lin cried.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Irma said.

"Just keep flying!" Will cried.

The girls flew as fast as they could, but the ANBU didn't seem to be getting tired of chasing them.

"We're in some serious trouble!" Taranee cried.

Suddenly Will felt something small stab her in the arm. She suddenly felt very drowsy and fell to the ground. She heard some thumps around her and saw that her friends had fallen too. The last thing Will saw was the ANBU black ops standing over her before she blacked out.

* * *

The ANBU looked down at the girls lying unconscious as the sleeping serum spread through their bodies.

"Should we take them to Lady Hokage?" One of them asked.

The leader nodded. "Yes. She will decide what do with them along with the other girl."

**END OF CHAPTER**

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Well there it is. The first chapter. I hope you guys like it**.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Queen Elyon was sitting on the floor in a dark room that was probably a type of cell. Elyon sighed. If she hadn't opened that book then she wouldn't be in this mess. Her head snapped up when the door opened and revealed ANBU black ops.

"You have company," The leader said as he and his men placed five girls in the cell. Elyon gasped when she recognized her best friends.

As soon as the door shut, Elyon ran over to her friends and shook them awake. "Guys wake up," She said.

Cornelia was the first one to wake up. "Elyon?" She asked. The queen nodded.

The rest of the girls sat up. "So I take it those masked creeps didn't like you much either?" Will asked.

Elyon nodded. "Yeah, but I don't even know what the heck I did to make them knock me out and bring me to this cell."

"Well we attacked them, so we know what we did," Irma explained, earning a glare from Cornelia.

Elyon laughed once. "So do you guys know where we are?"

"We were actually hoping that you would know," Hay Lin said.

Elyon clenched her fists. "Ugh, I should never have opened that stupid book!" She cried.

"Well considering that Julian and everyone else in the palace looked through it I think we're the only ones that could have been able to travel here," Taranee said.

"Yeah, but how do we get back is my question," Cornelia said.

Before the girls could say anything else the door opened and a young woman in her late twenties or early thirties stepped into the room. She had fair skin, black hair and wore black robes.

"My name is Shizune," She greeted politely. "Would you please tell me your names?"

The girls all looked at each other.

_'Should we tell her?'_ Taranee asked.

_'Well she just asked for our names, she didn't ask about our powers,'_ Cornelia said.

_'I think we can tell her,'_ Will said.

Elyon turned to Shizune. "My name is Elyon Brown."

Will went next. "I'm Wilma Vandom, but I prefer Will."

"I'm Cornelia Hale."

"Irma Lair's the name."

"Taranee Cook."

"And I'm Hay Lin."

Shizune nodded. "If you will come with me Lady Tsunade would like to speak with you."

The girls shared at look that said 'Who?' But they were eager to get out of the cell and find out where they were so they stood up quickly. They were about to leave when Will remembered that they were in guardian forms.

"Uh hey Shizune," She called.

"Yes?" Shizune asked turning around.

"Will it freak people out if they see us in these outfits?" The keeper asked.

"Very possible," Shizune nodded.

Will nodded then she held up the heart. "Change back," She said. Instantly the girls changed back to the less glamorous forms.

Shizune stared at them wide eyed. "How did you-"

"I think you'll find out when we meet this woman you were talking about," Elyon said. Shizune shokk her head slightly and then lead the girls out of the cell.

* * *

In the center of the Hidden Leaf Village the 17 Naruto Uzumaki sat at Ichiraku'a Ramen shop with his best friends and team mates, 17 year old Sakura Haruno and 17 year old Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hey where's Kakashi sensei? He was supposed to meet us here" Naruto said, after loudly slurping down some noodles.

"He's probably just late like he usually is," Sasuke said. It had been 2 years since he had returned to the leaf village after killing Itachi and Orochimaru and now lived a peaceful life in the village.

Sakura spoke up. "Do you guys remember when Kakashi told us about that strange girl the ANBU found this morning?" The boys nodded and Sakura continued. "I heard that about an hour ago the ANBU found more strangers that they think know the first one."

"Do you think they're a threat to the village?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shrugged. "Kakashi sensei doesn't think so, but he and some other jounin are trying to find out where these girls might have come from."

Some commotion behind them caused the three teens to turn around and look at what it was. They saw Shizune leading six girls wearing weird clothes to the Hokage tower. One of them, a red head, looked at them, but quickly looked away when she saw them staring.

"You think those are the girls the ANBU found?" Sasuke asked.

"Could be. I don't remember seeing them before," Naruto said. Then he turned back to his ramen.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"I'm eating, what's it look like?" Naruto said through a mouthful of noodles.

"Don't you want to find out about those girls?" Sakura asked.

"Not really. Granny Tsunade will handle it," Naruto said slurping down the last of his ramen. "Besides I need some more ramen," He smiled.

Sakura sighed and Sasuke punched Naruto on the head. "You're such an idiot," The raven haired boy muttered.

* * *

As Shizune led the girls through the village the guardians were a little bit uncomfortable under the stares and whispers of people they passed.

_'I think we're freaking out some people,'_ Hay Lin said.

_'Well what did you expect? I doubt these people have ever seen girls like us before,'_ Cornelia said.

_'Honey, I don't think anyone in the dimensions has seen girls quite like us before,'_ Irma laughed.

Will giggled. Then she looked up and saw large mountain with five faces craved onto it. _'Whoa guys check it out!'_

_'Cool, kinda weird, but cool,'_ Taranee said.

Hay Lin cocked her head slightly._ 'Is it just me or does that remind anyone about Mt. Rushmore?'_

The guardians and Elyon started giggling quietly at the air guardian's statement. Shizune looked back at them curiously and saw them looking up at the mountain.

"Do you know who they are?" She asked gesturing toward the mountain.

The girls shook their heads. Shizune continued. "Those are the Hokages' of the leaf village. They protect the village at all costs. The one at the end is Lady Tsunade. She's the current Hokage," She explained.

"And you work for her?" Taranee asked.

Shizune nodded. "Yes. I'm the one that makes sure she gets her work done instead of gambling." This caused the girls to giggle.

* * *

A few minutes later the girls arrived outside Tsunade's office. Shizune knocked on the door before entering. The girls walked in and saw a pretty blonde woman, who looked tired and had ink on her cheek.

Shizune gasped when she saw the ink. "You were fast asleep weren't you Lady Tsunade?! I leave for a few minutes and you just sit her taking a nap when you have important work to do?!" The dark haired woman practically screeched.

Tsunade laughed nervously. "No of course not, Shizune," She replied.

Shizune slumped forward and sweat dropped. Behind her W.I.T.C.H. and Elyon were giggling hysterically at the scene before them. Now they knew Shizune wasn't kidding when she said Tsunade had to be supervised.

Tsunade looked at the girls and sat up straighter. "Oh good, you brought them." She gestured for the girls to come closer, which they did. "I have a few questions for you and I'm sure you do as well," Tsunade said.

The girls nodded and Will stepped forward. "I'm sorry if we made the wrong first impression, but we don't intend to start any trouble and we aren't a threat of any kind to the village," She said.

Tsunade nodded. "That's good to know, makes this interrogation a bit easier. Now I need know you're names and ages."

'I'm Will Vandom and I'm 17."

"Cornelia Hale. 17 years old."

"Hay Lin and I am 16 years old."

"My name is Elyon Brown and I'm 17 years old."

"The name's Irma Lair you're average 16 year old fun loving girl."

"I'm Taranee Cook and I'm 16 years old."

Tsuande nodded her head. "The ANBU told me that you attacked them with elemental powers. Mind telling me about that?"

Will took a deep breath. Then she took out the heart of Candracar out to show Tsunade. The woman's eyes widened in complete shock.

"My friends and I the guardian's of the infinite dimensions and we have powers over quintessence, water, fire, earth, and air," Will said.

Elyon stepped forward. "And I'm Queen Elyon of Meridian, one of the infinite dimensions. I have all the powers that my friends have and some bonus powers."

Tsunade shook her head trying to clear her head. "I see. So how did you get here?"

"Well call us crazy, but we actually came here through a book," Irma said.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"She totally thinks we're crazy," Irma muttered. This comment made Cornelia smack the water goddess upside the head.

"Be quiet," Cornelia hissed.

Hay Lin stepped forward. "We're not totally sure, but we think that the book was magic and because of us being guardians and queen of Meridian we somehow managed to travel here."

"We just don't know how to get back home," Taranee said.

Tsunade sighed deeply and sat back in her chair. "Well if you're hoping that I'll know how to get you back home, I'll have to disappoint you. That would take some serious hard work and research which could take weeks at best."

'Well so much for getting home quick,' Taranee thought.

'Fantastic, now we're stuck here with those ANBU creeps watching our every move This is just swell!' Irma thought sarcastically.

Tsunade continued. "For now however I think it's best if we keep this guardians and queen thing a secret. I don't think you want everyone in the village to know about you."

_'Wow, she's really understanding,'_ Hay Lin said.

_'I don't think that's much of a good thing,'_ Cornelia replied.

_'Oh lighten up, Corny,'_ Irma said. _'If we're stuck here at least we won't be branded as freaks.'_

"So do you want us to lie low or something?" Will asked Tsunade.

"Actually I think that you girls should become ninja," Tsunade explained.

"What?" All six girls asked.

Tsunade nodded. "Being ninja will require you to learn taijutsu, genjustu, and other jutsus'. You will learn speed, agility and strength. You will also receive missions to help other people. You can use your powers to help you with these missions."

_'What do you think guys?'_ Will asked.

_'It sounds like a good plan to me,_' Elyon said.

_'Same here,'_ Hay Lin and Irma replied.

Will looked at Taranee and Cornelia who merely nodded their approval. The keeper turned to Tsunade. "Okay we're in. One thing though. How are we going to learn all this jutsu stuff you talked about?"

"Well there is an academy were young children can learn to be ninja," Tsunade explained.

'Great, she's gonna put is in a ninja baby school,' Irma thought rolling her eyes.

"But seeing as you are all clearly too old to join the academy I will assign the most skilled ninja of your age to train you," Tsunade said.

The girls nodded, thrilled they wouldn't have to do any type of reports or anything.

"And I already know the perfect chunin to teach you," Tsunade replied. "Shizune, please send out messengers for Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, Shikamaru Nara, and Kiba Inuzuka."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

18 year old jounins Neji, Lee, and TenTen, were in their usual training ground sparring with each other when Gai walked up to them.

"Good morning my youthful students!" He greeted with his bright smile. "Neji, Lee, I just got a message from Lady Hokage that you two are to go to her office immediately. Apparently she has something very important for you two to do."

"What is it?" Neji asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is you don't want to keep the lady waiting," Gai replied.

"Yes Gai sensei," Lee nodded. Then he and Neji took off for the Hokage tower.

* * *

17 year old jounin, Shikamaru Nara was watching the clouds when Ino came up to him. "Hey Shikamaru!" She called loudly.

"What?" Shikamaru called back lazily, irritated that Ino had disturbed his relaxation.

"Lady Tsunade wants to see you in her office pronto," The blond told him.

"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered. "What does she want me for?"

Ino shrugged. "It's probably some big mission or something."

"Fine, fine, I'm going," Shikamaru said, reluctantly getting up and walking off toward the Hokage tower.

* * *

17 year old Kiba was training with Akamaru when Kurenai walked over. "Lady Hokage wishes to see you immediately," She said.

Kiba smirked. "Well if she wants to see me that soon then it's probably something really big, right?"

"That's right," His sensei nodded.

"Well it's about time I got another big mission. We've been dying to get some action, right Akamaru?"

The big white dog barked in reply.

"Come on boy, race ya there," Kiba said as he took off with Akamaru close behind.

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were just leaving Ichiraku's, after the first two had waited for the latter to get his full of ramen, when Kakashi appeared with a puff of smoke.

"Hey you missed out on lunch Kakashi sensei!" Naruto cried.

"Sorry about that Naruto. Anyway I have a message for you and Sasuke," The masked man said.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Lady Tsunade wishes to see you both A.S.A.P," Kakashi said.

"Is it about those girls the ANBU found earlier?" Naruto asked.

"Very possible, but I suggest you don't keep Tsunade waiting. It sounds pretty urgent."

Sasuke and Naruto nodded, before taking off.

* * *

Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, and Sasuke all arrived at Tsunade's office door at the same time.

"So you guys got called here too," Neji said.

"So we all have to do this big mission?" Shikamaru said. "This is gonna be such a pain."

Kiba smiled. "This has gotta be really important if Tsunade needs all six of us."

Shizune opened the door in front of them. "Good you're all here. Come in."

When the boys walked in they were surprised to see six girls standing in front of them. They all looked pretty uncomfortable and were wearing weird clothes. That's what the guys thought anyway.

Tsunade stood up from her desk. "Boys these girls are Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Elyon."

"Hi," The girls all said in unison with nervous smiles.

Tsunade continued. "These girls are new to the village and want to become kunoichi. That's why I am assigning you six to train them."

"WHAT?!" Kiba and Naruto cried. They had wanted a big mission, not this. Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke weren't exactly thrilled at the idea of training a bunch of girls. Akamaru barked, as if to say he didn't like it either.

'Great, these girls are probably just going to become fan girls,' Sasuke and Neji thought.

Lee however smiled widely. "I am honored that you chose us to train these girls Lady Hokage!" He cried giving a thumbs-up and his bright smile.

W.I.T.C.H. sweat dropped. 'Okay this guy is a little too cheerful. I hope I don't get stuck with him,' Irma thought.

"Aw come on grandma why can't you give me a mission where I can knock some guy's block off? You're so lame, believe it!"

Tsunade's face darkened. "What did you just say kid?"

"I said your lame," Naruto repeated.

Will looked at the blonde in shock. Then she noticed the looks his friends were giving him and realized that this must be Naruto's usual behavior with Tsunade.

Before anyone could blink Tsunade had leapt up and grabbed Naruto by the front of his shirt. "Listen you lousy brat, I'm the hokage and you'll take whatever mission I give you! If you give me lip one more time I'll send you back to the academy so fast your head will spin!" The woman cried. Then she shoved Naruto backwards into Shikamaru and Kiba.

A snorting noise made Will turn and she Cornelia with an amused look on her face. The blonde looked at Will and made a face that said, 'This guy's an idiot.'

Tsunade continued. "You boys will be assigned to work with one girl each. They will become your partners and after a few weeks of training you will go on missions with our partners. Is that understood?"

The girls and boys nodded their understanding, though none of them, except for Lee, were all that excited to be working with each other.

Tsunade smiled. "Good. Now Naruto, your partner will be Hay Lin. Neji, your partner will be Cornelia Hale. Lee your partner will be Taranee Cook. Shikamaru your partner is Irma Lair. Kiba your partner is Elyon Brown. Sasuke your partner is Will Vandom," She said. "You will start training today."

* * *

A few minutes later the girls and their partners were standing in a large field with a few trees.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Taranee asked.

"We're starting your training," Sasuke said.

"What, right now?" Hay Lin asked, surprised.

"Shouldn't you give some pointers first," Will said.

"We want to see how much you know about fighting before we start teaching you," Neji explained.

"This isn't going to mess up my hair is it?" Cornelia asked.

Irma did a face palm. "Honestly, Corny, we're talking ninja stuff here!" She cried.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and turned to Kiba. "These girls are pretty weird wouldn't you say?" He asked.

"Kind of," Kiba agreed.

**"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"** Irma and Cornelia shouted, immediately turning on Naruto and Kiba. They were about to tackle them, but Will and Taranee held them back.

Shikamaru sighed. 'What a drag. Teaching these girls how to be ninja is going to be such a pain!' He thought.

Lee stepped forward. "Okay let's do this."

* * *

Hidden in the trees, Tsunade and Shizune were watching the teenagers. With them Kakashi, Gai, and Kurenai, were also watching.

"Are you sure you want our students to train them, Lady Hokage? We can train them easily," Kurenai said.

Tsunade shook her head. "No these girls are only staying temporarily. It would be a waste if you all were to teach them when we need you on missions. Besides they're…special."

"Remind me why we're watching them again," Kakashi said lazily, not looking from his Make out Paradise book.

"I just want to see what these girls are capable of since they have never used any form of jutsu before in their lives," Tsunade said.

The three sensai's nodded and turned to watch their students.

* * *

After three hours W.I.T.C.H. and Elyon were exhausted. They were sweating and panting like crazy as well as being dirty and having plenty of scratches, bruises and small cuts. The boys however hadn't even broken a sweat.

Naruto yawned. "Are we done yet, I'm tired and this is really boring."

"Shut," Pant, "Up," Pant, "Idiot!" Elyon said through deep breaths a scowl on her face.

"I knew this was going to be a pain," Shikamaru grumbled.

Irma growled. 'This guy thinks this is a pain. Oh, if I could use my powers at the moment he would really know pain!'

_'Chill Irma,'_ Taranee said.

'_Shut it!'_ Irma replied.

"Seriously is that the best you guys can do?" Kiba asked. Will clenched her fists in anger at the dog ninja.

* * *

From the trees, Tsunade, Shizune, and the sensei's sweat dropped.

"Well that was…interesting wasn't it?" Gai said.

"It looked more like those girls getting their butts kicked rather than training," Kakashi said.

"Not very impressive if you ask me," Kurenai said.

Tsunade sighed. 'It looks like those girls have a lot to learn if they want to be strong ninja,' She thought as they all left.

* * *

Sasuke and Neji shook their heads at the girls especially at Will and Cornelia. Sasuke turned to Neji. "I don't think we'll be able to teach them anything important if they can't even learn the basics."

Neji nodded. "I agree with you."

Will growled at him. "Basics my foot!" She snarled glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the scowling red head. 'Interesting. Most girls usually start swooning the second they see me. This girl is certainly different.'

Lee stepped forward. "Come on guys. We should not say such hurtful things to them."

Taranee smiled. 'At least there's someone in this village who has some manners!'

Lee continued. "Just because they cannot become youthful ninja like the rest of us does not mean we should rub it in their faces."

'Okay I take that back,' Taranee frowned narrowing her eyes at Lee.

Kiba put his hands behind his head. "Well I'm heading home, this is really boring."

Naruto nodded. "I'm with you."

"Same," Shikamaru and Lee said going after Naruto and Kiba.

Neji and Sasuke shook their heads at the girls before starting to leave. Will and Cornelia were about to stand up to leave but them they heard Sasuke and Neji's next words.

"I can't believe Lady Tsunade wanted us to teach those losers they won't learn anything at this rate. They're weak," Sasuke said.

"At least you lucked out. My partner is a completely arrogant and self centered. She's just like all the fan girls who care only about themselves," Neji said.

Cornelia and Will both snapped and lunged at Neji and Sasuke. The boys quickly turned around, grabbed their wrists and spun them around pinning one arm behind them and placed kunai on their throats.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Irma cried out in alarm.

"Lesson number one ladies: Never attack in anger," Sasuke said, completly ignoring Irma.

"It will only increase your enemy's chance of defeating you. Or killing you," Neji added.

Cornelia and Will shared a look and nodded. They brought up their feet and slammed them onto Neji and Sasuke's. The boys grunted and let the girls go. Will glared at Sasuke and Cornelia angrily tossed her hair.

"Let's go ladies," Will said as she and Cornelia started to leave.

Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Elyon glared at the boys before they stormed away after Will and Cornelia.

Neji and Sasuke frowned and turned around to see Naruto, Shikamaru, Lee, and Kiba watching.

Naruto shook his head. "Who'da thought that Sasuke and Neji would get dissed by women. It's totally unbelievable."

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Neji asked.

"Come one you guys know what I mean," Naruto said. "Like you weren't surprised when none of those girls started screaming excitedly when they saw you."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "You know I never thought I'd say this, but Naruto's got a point."

Lee smiled widely at Neji. "Well, I am sure you noticed that Cornelia is quite lovely, right Neji?"

Neji scoffed. "Please she's just like every other girl in this village.

Naruto smirked. "What about Will? She's a cute one. Tough and stubborn too. Just your type Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned. "Why would I ever have any attraction to someone as weak as her? Sakura was never even that pathetic."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Well I don't wanna sound rude or anything, but that Hay Lin was kind of weird. She's a bit too hyper and plus I saw her smirking at me when Grandma Tsunade yelled at me earlier."

"All of them were smirking, Naruto," Shikamaru said. "And it's not rude if it's the truth. Besides my partner's just a drag," He said as he and his friends headed home.

* * *

"Ugh! I can't stand that Sasuke!" Will screamed as soon as she and her friends were out of ear shot from the boys. "I mean who the heck does he think he is?"

Elyon scowled. "At least your partner didn't have a giant dog that kept appearing out of nowhere and tackled you while he laughed his head off."

Hay Lin rolled her eyes. "Well I don't want to sound rude or anything, but did you guys hear the way Naruto talked to Lady Tsunade? Judging from that I'd say he's kind of idiotic."

"We all think he's idiotic and it's not rude if it's the truth my friend. My partner's just a huge pain in the neck. He just kept mumbling about this whole thing being a drag," Irma said. Neither she nor Hay Lin them realizing that these were pretty much the exact same words Naruto and Shikamaru had just said.

Taranee huffed. "At least none of you have a partner that wears green spandex and has a bowel cut and big bushy eyebrows that keeps ranting about youth."

Cornelia crossed her arms. "I don't know about you, but I think that my partner is the worse. He thinks he knows every freakin' thing on the planet! Oo, I'd like to shove him three feet under the ground with my powers!"

Will sighed and sat down on a boulder nearby. "Okay guys, I think it's obvious that your partners are total jerks," She smirked. "So how about we show them what we can do."

"We're listening," Cornelia said raising an eyebrow as the others walked a bit closer.

Will smirked wider. "All we have to do is show them that we are not weak and that we can be as good ninja as they are."

Elyon smirked. "Does that mean we can make their lives miserable while we're at it?"

Will nodded. "But we have to be very careful not to use our powers or else we're in trouble."

The girls nodded their agreement already thinking of ways to torture their partners.

Will stood up. "Okay let's go see Lady Tsunade. She said she would arrange for us to stay some place while we're here."

With that the girls walked off and prepared to train their butts off and show the boys what they were made of. Neither groups, were aware that this single promise that the girls had made would mark the beginning of a great adventure.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	4. Chapter 4

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Whew okay sorry for the long wait guys. But these take a bit of time to write. Later on they'll come quicker. Hope you guys enjoy this! Also many people have been favoriting this, but not many reviews are going along with those. Please change that a bit.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or W.I.T.C.H. *sigh***

Chapter 4

The next morning a few hours before dawn, Will and Cornelia were peacefully sleeping in the apartment that Tsunade had said they could stay in. Hay Lin and Taranee were asleep in the apartment on their right and Irma and Elyon were in the one left to them.

A sudden knocking at the door made Will stir, but she didn't get up. A few seconds later more knocking came. This time Will woke up. She tried to go back to sleep but the knocking came again. "C, go find out who it is," She said sleepily.

"Forget it," was the muttered reply.

The knocking, this time sounding impatient, came again. Cornelia lifted her head in annoyance. "Whoever is knocking this early in the morning is utterly insane," She grumbled.

Will rolled over to reach for her clock. "It can't be that early," She said. Then she looked at the clock and did a double take.

* * *

Outside the door Neji and Sasuke kept knocking at the door to try and wake up their partners. They had agreed to get the girls up for early morning training and were waiting impatiently for them to wake the heck up.

"It's shouldn't be this hard to wake them up," Sasuke said.

"They are girls after all," Neji replied.

Suddenly a loud yell sounded from the red head inside. "4 IN THE FREAKING MORNING!?!?!"

"WHAT?" Cornelia shouted in reply.

The boys heard angry stomping and the door swung open to reveal a very ticked off Will in her blue stripped pajamas. The angry look on her face got even worse when she saw who it was.

"Oh it's you two," Will said, glaring slightly as Sasuke.

'So she still has issues with me, huh?' Sasuke thought.

"Who is it?" Cornelia called.

"Here's a hint for one of em," Will replied with a slight smirk. "His hair is styled like a chicken's butt!"

Sasuke looked slightly shocked then glared daggers at her. Will only smirked and stuck her tongue out at him.

They all heard Cornelia sigh. "And does the other have his hair in a low ponytail like a girl?"

"Yep," Will replied with a laugh.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "We're going to morning training and you two are joining us," He said.

Will raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well you can forget that mess because I'm going back to bed."

She started to close the door, but Sasuke pushed it back open. "That wasn't a request."

"I know. I'm just not going to listen to you," The red head replied.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'Why is this girl being so difficult?' He thought.

Will glared back. 'I just want to go back to sleep so why is this jerk being so difficult?!' She thought

As Will and Sasuke were having their staring contest, Cornelia showed up at the door and turned to Neji. "You woke us up at 4 in the morning just to train?" She asked, sounding disbelieving.

Neji nodded. "And you are coming, like it or not."

Cornelia's eyebrows shot up. "I don't think so, buddy!" Cornelia said.

* * *

Half an hour later Will and Cornelia stood in the training grounds with Neji and Sasuke very annoyed and angry. The two of them and Neji and Sasuke had argued for about 15 minutes, until Irma and Elyon had stormed out of their apartment and shouted at Will and Cornelia to just shut up and go with Neji and Sasuke so they could get some peace and quiet. What made it worse is that Taranee and Hay Lin had poked their heads out their door and said the same thing. In the end Will and Cornelia had reluctantly gone with their partners who were being extremely smug about the whole thing. They were now standing in different training fields trying out weapons.

"Oh wipe that smirk of your face already Hyuga," Cornelia scowled as Neji took out a few weapons.

Neji didn't give her the pleasure of a response, but simply handed her a kunai.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" Cornelia asked.

"Throw it at the target across the field," Neji said.

Cornelia looked at the saw the target. Her eyebrows shot up. "You want me to shoot this that far away?"

Neji sighed. "We have to see if you have good aim." A smirk played on his lips. "I wouldn't expect you to hit the center anyway."

Cornelia narrowed her eyes at him angrily. As she got ready to throw the kunai, she smirked. 'Maybe it's ime for a little telekinesis action!'

**'Ha! Way to go girl! That'll wipe the smirk of his face!'** Her inner shouted.

'For sure! Then again I don't think Will is gonna like it.' Cornelia responded.

**'Will Shmill woman! This guy needs to be taught a lesson! Besides who's gonna know?'**

'Good point.'

With that Cornelia backed up and sprinted forward a few steps before throwing the kunai. As she did the blonde directed it ever so slightly so that it would end up closer to the target. It hit just a few inches away from the center.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cornelia saw Neji's eyes widen a bit and she smirked. 'Oh yeah. This is gonna be soooo much fun,' She thought happily as she picked up another kunai. Once again she directed it to the same place.

'She learns fast, I'll give her that,' Neji thought with a slight frown.

* * *

Will meanwhile was not doing so hot. Not being the telekinetic that Cornelia was, the keeper kept missing the target and didn't seem to be improving. Will cried out in frustration as her 6th kunai missed the target.

"What the heck?!" Will cried. "Why can't I hit one lousy target?!"

Behind her she heard Sasuke chuckle once. "Please, let's not blame the target,' The Uchiha heir stated.

Will's hand twitched from her desire to slap off the smirk that she knew was on her partner's face. The redhead took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she picked up another kunai, sprinted forward and threw. Once again the knife missed the target.

Will sighed and turned to Sasuke. "Isn't there anything else that I could do aside from this?"

"Nothing I would think you'd be good at," Sasuke replied.

This time Will's urge to slap Sasuke was a bit harder to control. 'Keep it together Will, keep it together.' She thought.

Sasuke looked at Will and saw her fists were clenched and she was breathing deeply. He sighed. "If you have something to say why don't you just say it," He suggested.

Will glared at him and Sasuke saw a blazing fire in her eyes. "You wanna know what I have to say? I'll tell you. You are the most annoying, arrogant, self centered person I've ever met in my life. You are rude and don't care about anyone, but yourself!" The redhead cried.

Sasuke started at her in shock. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Or yelled at him for that matter. He narrowed his eyes. "I would keep my mouth shut if I were you," he threatened.

"Or what?" Will challenged.

Sasuke's already shut fuse was getting dangerously close to blowing. This girl was testing his patience. They glared at each other angrily, both to angry to speak. Finally Will spun on her heel and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke hissed.

"As far away from you as I can get," Will replied coldly, not stopping.

Suddenly Sasuke appeared right in front of her and Will jumped back. She hadn't even heard him coming.

"I still have to train you and you are being very difficult about everything," He said.

Will put her hands on her hips. "Well if I'm so difficult why work so hard to get me here."

"Since you're here, why are you being so difficult?" Sasuke sneered.

"I'm out of here," Will said, pushing past Sasuke.

"No you're not!" Sasuke said, grabbing Will's wrist.

Will snapped her head back to glare at him. Both of them knew that neither would give in, but they didn't care. They glared at each other for several seconds when a voice rang out.

"What's going on here?"

Both of them turned to see Kakashi leaning against a tree holding his Make Out Tactics book in front of his face, though he was looking at the livid teens disapprovingly with his visible eye.

"Stay out of this Kakashi," Sasuke told his former sensai.

"Sasuke let go of Will's wrist before you break it," Kakashi said, noticing that Will was cringing from Sasuke's grip on her wrist.

Sasuke, realizing that his grip was tighter then he thought, released her and the read head rubbed her wrist, looking away from Sasuke and turned to Kakashi.

Kakashi could sense her curiosity. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke's former sensai and I know who you are because Lady Hokage told me about you and your friends yesterday."

Will nodded her understanding. "Well at least not everyone around here is a creep."

Sasuke was about to snap back at her when Kakashi broke in. "Alright I think you guys had both better cool it before someone loses a limb or something."

"How did you know we were here?" Sasuke asked.

"I followed you two, Neji, and Cornelia after I heard the arguing over at the apartment during my walk around the village," Kakashi said simply.

Will turned a light shade of pink. "You heard that?"

"I think most of the village heard it," Kakashi said, a lot of amusement in his voice. "Apparently Neji and Cornelia are managing to be peaceful with each other so why can't you guys?"

"Because he's/she's difficult!" Will and Sasuke both replied. They glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

Kakashi sighed. "Clearly I'm only making things worse. Will why don't you head back to the apartment and I'll talk with Sasuke for a bit."

Will gave Kakashi a grateful look, shot Sasuke a look that he knew would probably scare the wits out of some academy students, and walked away.

"Why do you always have to interfere with everything?" Sasuke asked his sensai once Will had gone.

"I only did it so you and Will wouldn't start trying to kill each other," Kakashi said. Then his tone turned to a sly one. "Don't tell you aren't interested with the fact that Will hasn't become a fangirl."

"I couldn't care less about that," Sasuke replied.

"Okay whatever you say," Kakashi shrugged. "Just try and keep a level head Sasuke. I could tell that Will has some serious potential as a ninja."

"Whatever. I don't expect much from her either way," Sasuke said.

Kakashi turned stern. "Well I expect that you will treat her with respect from now on. With women how you act towards them affects their moods." Then his tone took on an amused one. "It would also help if you wouldn't wake her up at 4 in the morning next time." With that said the silver haired man disappeared with a puff of smoke.

* * *

Meanwhile Cornelia and Neji were doing some close distance combat practice. Neji was taking it as easy one her as he could, but Cornelia didn't seem to be improving much. After being admittedly impressed by Cornelia's aim Neji quickly discovered that she didn't exceed in much else.

"Act quickly and don't hesitate in your attacks," He instructed.

Cornelia barely managed to dodge one of his attacks.

"Trust your instincts."

This time Cornelia couldn't dodge in time and Neji's fist collided with her stomach. The blonde bent over in pain, blood oozing from the side of her mouth. Neji stood up as Cornelia winced as she stood up.

"We'll take a break for a while," Neji said.

"How long are we going to keep this up?" Cornelia asked.

"For as long as it takes for you to improve even slightly," Neji replied.

Cornelia's shoulders slumped. "You've got to be kidding," She muttered.

Suddenly two flashes of green burst into the clearing. Cornelia jumped and Neji sighed. The flashes turned out to be the green beasts Gai and Lee.

"Good morning everybody! Life treating ya good?" Gai greeted them loudly.

Cornelia's jaw dropped at the sight of the two of them. 'They look exactly alike!' She thought her eyes darting between Lee and Gai several times.

Gai noticed Cornelia and smiled even wider. "I take it you must be the youthful flower that Neji is training."

'Youthful…flower?' Cornelia thought.

Gai continued. "So let's see if I can get your name right. It's…Cornella isn't it?"

Cornelia sweat dropped. "It's Cornelia actually," She corrected. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Neji smirk slightly.

Gai smiled his bright smile at her and gave her his nice guy pose. "Well little lady, prepare yourself for I've brought you something that will be of great use in your training."

Lee nodded vigorously behind his sensai. "Gai sensai is right Cornelia!"

Neji got an irritated look on his face, which made Cornelia kind of afraid of what Gai was planning on giving her.

Gai smiled wider then Cornelia thought possible before whipping out a green spandex onesie. "This suit is 100% guaranteed to help you with your training! Just look at Lee!"

"It is true! So very true!" Lee exclaimed.

"That's the spirit Lee!"

"Gai Sensai!"

"Lee!"

"GAI SENSAI!"

"LEE!"

What followed this rampage was their ocean and sunset moment which was probably the most disturbing thing Cornelia had ever seen.

'And Lee isn't even my partner. Man do I feel bad for Taranee!' She thought.

She looked at Neji to see the expression on his face was one that told Cornelia this was Lee and Gai's usual behavior. 'Well that's just great.'

Cornelia inched over to Neji. "Do I have permission to get away from horror scene?"

Neji sighed. "You'll have to face it later so yes."

Cornelia immediately bolted half a second after the word left Neji's mouth before Lee and Gai would notice she had left.

* * *

Will was walking up the stairs to her apartment when Cornelia suddenly streaked past her. "Whoa Cornelia what gives!" Will cried.

Cornelia skidded to a halt panting. "Sorry Will. I'm just relieved to get away."

"Oh yeah, same here. Sasuke's such a…" Will trailed off, fighting back a word that her mother would not have approved of her saying.

"Oh, I'm not talking about Neji, but I really feel sorry for Taranee," Cornelia explained.

Will tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

Cornelia shuddered lightly. "I'll explain later."

Will nodded figuring she was better off not knowing. The girls continued to the apartment in silence and as they walked into their apartment both of them came to the same conclusion.

"Cornelia," Will said.

"Yeah?" Cornelia asked.

"We are rightly and truly screwed."

"Yep."

With that said Will plopped down onto a chair and Cornelia collapsed down on the couch ready to have a well deserved nap.

**END OF CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Kinda fillerish I know, but they'll get better. Hopefully. Suggestion or ideas are welcome if anyone has any.**

**Will: Read**

**Cornelia: And Reply.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I wish that I could own Naruto and WITCH but sadly I do not. *sigh*

**Chapter 5**

Around 8 o'clock a few hours after Will and Cornelia got back, Taranee and Hay Lin walked out of their apartment.

"Do you think Cornelia and Will are back yet?" Hay Lin asked.

"Probably and I bet their asleep too," Taranee answered.

Hay Lin nodded and then skipped over to Irma and Elyon's door and knocked. Irma answered a few seconds later.

"Hey Hay Lin, hi Tara," She greeted.

"Morning Irma," Hay Lin smiled. "Is Elyon up?"

"Yeah I am," Elyon said coming up to the door. "Whats up?"

"Hay Lin and I are going to get a better look at the village and we wanted to see if you guys wanted to come," Taranee said.

"I'll come," Irma said.

"Me too," Elyon agreed.

"Awesome let's go," Hay Lin skipping away. The other three followed after her.

"What about Will and Cornelia?" Elyon asked.

Irma snorted. "Yeah right. I don't think those two want to go anywhere after the fiasco with Neji and Sasuke this morning."

"Oh right," Elyon laughed.

"Man I hope our partners don't get us up that early," Irma said.

"Seriously," Taranee nodded. "If Lee even tries that, I'll barbecue him on the spot."

Hay Lin and Irma giggled and Elyon smiled.

"It feels good to spend more time together doesn't it guys?" Elyon asked.

Irma nodded. "Yeah, ever since you became queen we haven't been able to visit Meridian much."

"Well at least some good came out of us being stuck here," Taranee grinned.

Suddenly a large flash of white came out of nowhere and jumped right in front of the girls making them jump back and let short screams. Then they saw that it was a very familiar dog and they could hear his master laughing nearby.

"Ha, we got 'em Akamaru!" Kiba cried as Akamaru bounded over to his side.

Irma, Hay Lin, and Taranee rolled their eyes and Elyon sighed. "Good morning Kiba," Elyon said.

Kiba shot her a cocky grin. "I don't think that's really much of a greeting partner."

Elyon raised an eyebrow and then rolled her eyes.

"So why did you decide to sick Fluffy on us?" Irma asked, irritated.

"First of all his name is Akamaru and I just did it for a little fun. I'm just heading to training with Hinata and Shino anyway," Kiba explained.

"Who?" Elyon asked.

"My other teammates," The dog ninja replied.

"Elyon do you mind if we go ahead while you talk with Kiba?" Taranee asked.

Elyon shook her head. "No not at all."

Her friends nodded and left leaving Elyon with Kiba and Akamaru. "So you have other teammates?" Elyon asked him.

"Well former teammates really. Back when we became gennin we were assigned to work with each other as a three man squad. Now that were jounin we aren't a squad anymore, but we still train together and we sometimes get put on the same missions," Kiba explained.

Elyon nodded in understanding. "So I take it that Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Lee were assigned to a squad too?"

Kiba nodded. "Shikamaru's former teammates are Ino Yamanaka and Chouji Akimichi."

Elyon raised an eyebrow slightly. 'Ino? Doesn't that mean pig?'

"K-Kiba?" A timid voice called out.

Elyon and the dog ninja turned to see a pretty lavender eyed young woman walking their way with a hooded young man by her side.

"Yo Shino. Hey Hinata!" Kiba greeted enthusiastically.

"Hello Kiba," Shino greeted with a slight nod of his head.

Hinata turned her gaze toward Elyon and a look cross her faced, but Elyon couldn't see anything except innocent curiosity.

"W-who's this K-Kiba," She stuttered.

"This is Elyon the one I told you guys about yesterday," Kiba responded.

Hinata smiled at her shyly and Elyon grinned back. "You're name is Hinata isn't it?" The blonde asked.

"Yes," Hinata nodded.

"And you're Shino huh?" Elyon asked turning towards the hooded man.

Shino nodded slightly and then looked at Elyon. "You don't look like the weak dumb blonde that Kiba made you out to be."

Elyon stiffened and her eyes got the angry anime look to them. 'WHAT did he just say?!'

**'Forget him go for the mutt!'** Her inner shouted. **'That dog has to pay!'**

Elyon slowly turned around to face a suddenly nervous looking Kiba, who was glaring at Shino out of the corner of his eye, and took a deep breath.

"You have exactly ten seconds to think of a good enough reason why I shouldn't punch you into the next century," Elyon hissed.

Kiba put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "No need to get violent Elyon."

"Seven seconds."

"I was kidding when I said that."

"I thought you weren't," Hinata replied innocently.

"Hinata!"

**WHAM!!**

Elyon's fist collided with Kiba's head so hard the boy was knocked to the ground. "How's that for a weak dumb blonde?" Elyon said tossing her braid.

"Ha! Nice hit Ellie!"

They all turned and saw Irma giving Elyon the thumbs up, Hay Lin giggling hysterically, and Taranee shaking her head with an amused expression on her face.

Elyon waved to her friends and then turned to Shino and Hinata. "Bye Shino. Nice meeting you, Hinata." With that the queen sprinted over to join her friends.

Kiba groaned and rubbed his head. "Thanks a lot Shino," He snapped.

"Sorry, Kiba," The bug boy replied.

Hinata looked too flustered to say anything.

"Oo the nerve of the mutt. I should have slammed him through a wall or something!" Elyon fumed as they walked past a few shops.

"If you had you probably would have scared the pedestrians," Hay Lin giggled.

"And given away our secret," Irma added with a grin.

Elyon rolled her eyes. Then a bright sign caught her eye. "Hey guys look at this."

They all looked at the sign and saw that it read 'Yamanaka flower shop.'

"Hey didn't Kiba say something about Shikamaru having a partner whose last name was Yamanaka?" Taranee asked.

"Let's go check it out," Irma said walking toward the shop. The other's followed her lead.

As they entered a bell jingled and a 17 year old blonde came out of the back.

"Hi I'm Ino Yamanaka. Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked kindly.

The girls shook their heads. "Just looking," Hay Lin replied cheerfully.

Ino nodded then she gave them a look. "I don't think I've seen you before."

Taranee gave her a smile. "We're new to the village actually. We just got her yesterday."

Understanding appeared on Ino's face and she nodded. "So you must be the ones Shikamaru, Sasuke, Naruto and the others are training right?"

"Yep," Elyon replied, examining a bouquet of lavender.

"I'm Shikamaru's trainee actually," Irma said smelling a rose. "He's so irritating."

Ino laughed. "He can be irritating at times, but he's a great shinobi and friend when he wants to be."

Irma smiled. "Do you know where he is exactly? I wouldn't mind learning a few more things."

"He's probably still asleep," Ino said with a roll of her eyes. Then she smirked and took out a pen and piece of paper. "Here's his address. Do me a favor and dump some water on him."

Irma had to fight back a smile and Hay Lin giggled quietly. Ino wasn't too far off of what Irma could actually do to Shikamaru.

"Will do," Irma grinned. She waved goodbye to her friends. "See ya later guys. Nice meeting you, Ino."

"Same," Ino replied with a wave.

* * *

Meanwhile Shikamaru was, as Ino predicted, fast asleep in his bed. He groaned as his mother pounded on the door.

"Will you get out of bed Shikamaru!" She cried. "I swear if you don't get up right now I'm breaking down this door and coming in to get you up myself!"

Shikamaru would have rolled his eyes if he bothered to open them. His mother only came in his room to clean and even then she hated it. He was very thankful that the pig pen he called his room gave him some privacy.

Then he heard his father's voice taking to his mother through the door. He heard his mother's voice respond back rather curiously. Then Yoshino spoke to him through the door.

"Shikamaru there's a girl at the front door for you."

This got the lazy genius's attention and he raised his head slightly. "Who is it?" He called.

"She said her name is Irma," Yoshino replied.

Shikamaru groaned again and dropped back into bed. 'You have got to be kidding me! How the heck did that troublesome woman even find out where I live?' He thought. "Tell her I'm still asleep," Shikamaru told his mother.

Before his mother could answer, Shikamaru heard stomping up the stairs and suddenly his door was burst open and Irma walked in and placed her hands on her hips.

"Are you gonna get up or not?" She asked.

"May I ask why troublesome woman?"

Irma raised an eyebrow at being called troublesome, but then shrugged. "I came because I wanted to train and I can't do that without you."

"How did you even find out where my house was?" Shikamaru asked.

Irma smirked. "Well your friend Ino is simply delightful!"

'Ino! Ugh I should have known. They're both so troublesome.' Shikamaru thought.

Irma's grin disappeared. "Well get up lazy!"

Shikamaru looked up at her. "You aren't going to leave until I get up are you?"

The grin was back. "Nope."

Sigh. "Fine."

Irma grinned and walked out of the room briskly as Shikamaru got up out of bed. He really couldn't wait until he got his own place on his 18th birthday.

A few minutes later Shikamaru walked down the stairs to see Irma and Yoshino in the kitchen talking and laughing with each other. His father was leaning against the wall with an amused expression on his face.

"I'm shocked that you never told me you had a lady friend Shikamaru," Shikaku smirked.

"I meet her yesterday dad. She's one of the girls the ANBU found. Besides she's hardly a lady if you ask me."

His father chuckled. "Cool it Shikamaru."

Shikamaru shook his head in amazement as he watched Irma and his mother talking. "It's amazing how the most troublesome women get along so well."

Shikaku nodded somberly. "I'm with you there."

Finally Irma noticed Shikamaru. "About time Shikamaru," She said standing up. "Let's get going." She turned to smile at Yoshino. "It was very nice meeting you."

"Likewise Irma," Yoshino grinned.

As Irma and Shikamaru walked out the door, he heard his mother say this to his father. "I'm telling you, if Irma can't put Shikamaru in his place no one can."

'Great thanks a lot mom," Shikamaru thought bitterly. 'This is going to be more troublesome than I thought.'

'Yoshino you rock!' Irma grinned. 'I think I just might like it here.'

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto and Sasuke were at Ichiraku's and the blonde was slurping down his fifth bowl. Sasuke shook his head in mild disgust.

"How you can eat so much ramen is beyond me," The Uchiha heir said.

Naruto grinned. "Come on Sasuke you gotta admit that the ramen is out of this world!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Then he and Naruto both noticed Hay Lin, Taranee, and Elyon walking nearby. It didn't take long for the girls to notice them either. Hay Lin trying to be polite gave them a little finger wave and a tiny smile. Taranee and Elyon nodded.

Sasuke turned away without any form of greeting and Naruto nodded back before going back to his ramen.

Hay Lin frowned slightly and after waving to her friends left to join the two boys.

"Hi Naruto, Sasuke," She greeted.

"Hi," Naruto muttered.

The old man behind the counter saw Hay Lin and grinned. "Well Naruto should I get another blow ready for your girlfriend here?"

Hay Lin's eyes widened in shock, Sasuke smirked widely, and Naruto nearly choked on his ramen.

"Are you nuts old man!?" Naruto cried. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Yeah what he said!" Hay Lin cried.

The old man held up his hands defensively. "Hey, hey calm down already. No need to get testy."

Hay Lin sighed and sat down a sit away from Naruto. Then Hay Lin smelled the ramen and her mood instantly brightened.

"Is that ramen?" Hay Lin asked the old man.

"It sure is. You want some?"

"Heck yes I would!" Hay Lin cried.

Sasuke and Naruto watched as Hay Lin greedily accepted her bowl of ramen and began digging in.

"What?" Hay Lin asked seeing their stares.

"You like ramen?" Naruto asked.

Hay Lin grinned. "Are you kidding I love ramen! I'm addicted to it!"

Naruto grinned. "So am I!"

'You've got to be kidding me,' Sasuke thought as he watched Naruto and Hay Lin chatting.

"Unbelievable," Taranee muttered as she and Elyon watched their friend.

"Looks like Hay Lin and Naruto are going to get along alright," Elyon said. "She's the lucky one."

"Hello ladies!"

The two turned and saw Lee and Gai. Upon seeing how alike they looked Taranee and Elyon had the same reaction as Cornelia.

Gai smiled widely at Taranee. "So you're Lee's partner. Well it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Gai, Lee's sensei. We were just on our way to do some training and I think that you should come along with us!"

"It will be fun Taranee!" Lee chimed in.

"Uh…" Taranee said.

"Great!" Gai cried as he and Lee grabbed Taranee and started leaving. "Let's go!"

'_Elyon help!'_ Taranee begged.

Elyon laughed. _'Sorry Tara, but this one's all yours.'_

Taranee groaned as the green beasts dragged her towards the training area as Elyon laughed. Then the queen saw Irma and Shikamaru walking nearby with Irma yelling at him.

Elyon shook her head and sighed. "We have our work cut out for us."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Later that day, Taranee groaned. She, Gai, and Lee had been training for the past four hours doing laps, practicing Taijutsu and Gai and Lee helped Taranee practice her aim. Taranee had been pleasantly surprised when her partner and his sensei had turned out to be very nice, but man could they work a girl to death. Taranee's body was sore and stiff and she was super tired and while she could barely stand and Lee and Gai were doing one hundred sit ups.

'Don't these guys ever get tired?' Taranee thought.

"Alright!" Gai said standing up. "I think we've had enough training for today."

'Thank you!' Taranee mentally cried.

"Yes Gai sensei," Lee replied.

"Well I'll see you two later. I going to go and find Kakashi. I've come up with a challenge that I'm sure he won't be able to beat me in," Gai said. Then he ran off at full speed.

"He seems nice," Taranee chuckled.

Lee nodded widely. "I hope you enjoyed yourself, Taranee."

"Thanks Lee," Taranee smiled. "So what was all that challenging Kakashi thing?"

Lee shook his head with a laugh. "Kakashi is Naruto and Sasuke's sensei and Gai sensei is always coming up with various challenges to see who is more superior," He explained.

Taranee nodded. "So you seem to be an expert at Taijutsu."

Lee gave her a small grin. "Taijutsu is the only thing I can do, Taranee. I do not have Genjutsu and Ninjutsu."

"Oh sorry," Taranee said.

"It is alright," Lee said smiling. "I do not mind."

Taranee grinned. "But that's so un-youthful!" She said in mock surprise.

Lee laughed and Taranee couldn't help smiling with him.

"I am sure you will make a great ninja, Taranee," Lee said.

"And I'm sure we'll be good friends," Taranee smiled. Lee smiled back.

"Well I gotta go," Taranee said. "It's lunchtime and Cornelia and Will can't even make toast."

They both laughed before Lee took off to do some more training and Taranee went back to the apartment.

* * *

Meanwhile Hay Lin and Naruto were walking through the village telling each other about the pranks they had pulled.

"Okay how about this? When I was ten Irma and I switched all the lemonade at a party with sake," Hay Lin said.

Naruto laughed. "I did that last year at one of grandma Tsunade's parties. You should have seen it, Hay Lin. It was glorious!"

Hay Lin laughed. "Well I once stole Cornelia favorite hat and blamed Irma for it when we were eight. I've never seen Irma run so fast in her life."

Naruto snickered. "Yeah I did that to Sakura one time. I'm still trying to recover from her hits."

"Is Sakura your girlfriend?" Hay Lin asked with a devious grin.

Naruot blushed lightly. "Well I would have liked that to be the case a few years ago, but no she's just a friend. A sister practically."

Hay Lin nodded in understanding. "Is she Sasuke's girlfriend then?"

Once again Naruto shook his head. "No she's not. But man did she have a serious crush on Sasuke for years. She's over it now though and we're all just friends now."

"If she liked him that much, how'd she get over it?" Hay Lin asked.

"Uh let's just say some things happened," Naruto said, not wanting Hay Lin to know about Sasuke leaving all those years ago.

"So no girls have caught your eye yet?" Hay Lin asked.

Naruto shuddered. "Well I can't say the fan girls count."

Hay Lin giggled. "Fan girls?"

"Yeah Lee's the only one of us without a fan club. Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba and I all have fan girls," Naruto explained.

"Must be nice for you," Hay Lin laughed.

"Yeah right, it's all just a big pain in the butt," Naruto replied. "Neji and Sasuke are used to it because they've had fan clubs since they were ten."

"Let's not tell Will and Cornelia about it then," Hay Lin said.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Will and Cornelia aren't too fond of Neji and Sasuke and knowing them, I'm sure they'd love to have something like this to hang over Neji and Sasuke's heads," Hay Lin laughed.

Naruto chuckled. "Well gotta go. I've gotta meet Konohamaru and he's going to shoot me if I'm late again."

"Who's that?"

"Konohamaru? He's just a friend mine who idols me," Naruto said.

Hay Lin giggled. "Well you better not keep him waiting. I'll see you later, Naruto."

"See ya Hay Lin!" Naruto waved taking off.

Hay Lin laughed as she watched Naruto run. She was glad that she had made friends with her partner, though she had a feeling that the only thing they would be doing was pulling pranks on people. After a few minutes Hay Lin sighed. 'I miss Eric,' she thought. All that girlfriend/boyfriend talk with Naruto had reminded Hay Lin that she wouldn't see Eric for at least a month or so.

'Wait a month?' Hay Lin thought. She paused and counted in her head. Then a bright grin came onto her face. 'There's only one month left till Christmas!' Hay Lin thought.

**_'Isn't it a little early to start squealing about Christmas?'_**

Hay Lin turned around to see Taranee walking up with a smirk on her face. When Taranee grimaced Hay Lin walked over.

"What wrong Taranee?" She asked.

Taranee sighed. "I've training with Lee and Gai Sensei. I'm so sore from that. I don't think those guys ever get tired."

"They worked you pretty hard huh?" Hay Lin asked.

"Yeah, but they mean well," Taranee said with a smile.

"So you and Lee are going to get along?"

"I hope so."

"Let's just hope Irma and Shikamaru can learn to get along, because I doubt Will, Cornelia, and Elyon are going to get along with Sasuke, Neji, and Kiba," Hay Lin smirked.

* * *

At the training ground Shikamaru was teaching Irma about his shadow possession jutsu.

"So you can control the movements of other people?" Irma asked.

"That's how it works," Shikamaru said, leaning against a tree.

"Could you show me how to do it?" Irma asked.

Shikamaru yawned. "I would, but it's-"

"Troublesome?" Irma asked with a grin.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. "How did you know what I was going to say?"

Irma giggled. "Well you've said the word about seven times in the past half hour after all. On top of that you're pretty easy to read."

Shikamaru once again raised an eyebrow. No one ever thought he was easy to read.

"Hey Shikamaru!" A loud voice yelled.

Irma and Shikamaru turned to see Ino and Chouji coming their way. Ino, obviously the one who had yelled, was grinning and waving.

Once Ino and Chouji reached them, Shikamaru glared at the blonde. "Thanks for giving Irma my address, Ino," He said bitterly.

Ino and Irma shared a sly glance and giggled.

"She has our address now?" Chouji asked, in between mouthful of chips. "That's bad news for you buddy."

Irma smiled at Chouji. "It looks like I have one more person to get to know."

Chouji grinned back at her. "I'm Chouji Akimichi, Shikamaru's teammate. Ino and Shikamaru told me about you already."

"And what exactly did Shikamaru say?" Irma asked, slightly narrowing her eyes at the pineapple head genius.

"Nothing really," Chouji replied. "Just that you were troublesome."

Irma rolled her eyes. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"That's Shikamaru for ya!" Ino giggled.

"I'm right here," Shikamaru said, glaring slightly at the two girls.

"Don't care," Ino and Irma said laughing some more.

Once Irma had turned somber she turned to her partner and his friends. "Hey I couldn't help but notice that every ninja I've met aside from you guys has a Sensei. Do you guys have one?"

Ino and Chouji immediately lost the grins and Shikamaru frowned deeply.

"What?" Irma asked, seeing their upset looks.

"It's nothing," Chouji said, looking away.

"Did I say something wrong?" Irma asked innocently.

"Yeah you did," Shikamaru said bitterly.

"Shikamaru she doesn't know so cool it!" Ino snapped.

"I don't know what?" Irma asked.

Ino sighed. "We did have a Sensei a few years ago. His name was Asuma."

"Was?" Irma asked.

Ino nodded sadly. "He died 3 years ago."

Now Irma understood why they were upset. She bit her lip and faced Shikamaru. "I'm so sorry that I asked, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru shrugged, though Irma could tell that he was a bit upset with her. "You didn't know."

"Still I am sorry. How about I make it up to you?" Irma asked.

"How?" Chouji asked.

"I'll buy you guys lunch, how does that sound?" Irma asked.

"Sounds good to me!" Chouji grinned.

"Anything involving food sounds good to you Chou," Ino said, rolling her eyes.

"You wanna come Shikamaru?" Irma asked.

Shikamaru sighed and opened his mouth.

"Don't you dare say 'Troublesome woman!'" Irma cried.

Shikamaru smirked at her and they all headed out to eat.

* * *

At the apartment Will and Cornelia were sitting with Elyon as Cornelia told them about Gai and Lee.

"I am telling you they looked exactly alike. Some bushy eyebrows, spandex suit and everything!" Cornelia cried.

"It's true. I saw them a few hours ago actually," Elyon put in.

Will shuddered. "Well at least you're better off than I am Corny."

"Sasuke was a jerk to you this morning huh?" Cornelia guessed with a grin.

"You have no idea!" Will said flopping down on the couch.

Then the door opened and Taranee and Hay Lin walked in.

"Hey guys!" Hay Lin skipping happily over to them.

Taranee collapsed in the chair and sighed in relief.

"What happened to you?" Will asked.

"Training with Gai and Lee," Hay Lin grinned. "Who wants lunch?"

"Do we even have food?" Cornelia asked.

Hay Lin paused and quickly checked. She frowned. "We've got nada."

"Great," Elyon said.

A knock on the door made the girls look up. Cornelia stood up and went to answer it. Who she saw surprised her. "Hey Shizune," She greeted.

"Hello Cornelia. Are the others here?" Shizune asked.

"Irma not, but the rest are," Cornelia said.

"Mind if I come in?" Shizune asked.

"Not at all," Cornelia said stepping aside.

"I just wanted to check and see how you girls were doing," Shizune said.

"Is there any way we can get new partners?" Will asked.

"Why is something wrong?"

"Sasuke's just an arrogant jerk with no manners and no idea how to treat a lady," Will said.

Shizune giggled. "I'm sure you'll adjust. There must be a reason why Lady Tsunade wanted you to be partners with him. You are the leader after all."

"Wait how did you know I was the leader? I never mentioned that I was," Will said.

Shizune let out a nervous laugh. "Oh Tsuande and I just figured that since you were the keeper that you must be the leader that's all."

Will narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but let it go.

"Do you know where we can get some food around here?" Elyon asked.

Shizune smiled. "I'll have someone bring you girls some food to last you a few weeks."

"Thanks Shizune," Taranee replied.

"Is there any way we can earn some money?" Hay Lin asked.

Shizune nodded. "Once you start going on missions you'll get paid."

"Oh so that's how it works," Elyon said, nodding in understanding.

Shizune chuckled. "Well I'll send someone over in about an hour with some food for you. Have a good day ladies."

"Bye Shizune," Hay Lin said as the woman left.

"So that's it then? We get waited on till we're skilled enough to go on missions?" Will asked.

"Doesn't sound that bad to me," Cornelia grinned.

Then Irma walked into the apartment. "Hey guys!"

"Where have you been?" Taranee asked.

Irma shrugged. "I went to lunch with Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji."

"Really? I thought you hated Shikamaru?" Cornelia asked.

"Just because you hate your partner Corny, doesn't mean I have to," Irma replied. "Besides he's okay once you get to know him and his friends are hilarious."

"Great, Will, Cornelia and I are the only ones who get jerk partners," Elyon groaned.

"Well maybe if you just give them a chance then you would get along," Irma said.

Will, Cornelia and Elyon sent her a look that said 'Are you kidding?'

Taranee shook her head. "And Lady Tsunade expects us to live like this for weeks?"

"Oh hey, there's only a month left till Christmas guys!" Hay Lin piped up.

Will, Corny, and Elyon groaned and Irma and Taranee shook their heads. But they knew that they would all adjust to life in the leaf village.

**END OF CHAPTER**

**W.I.T.C.H. Fan: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Sorry that it took so long**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

After a few days of living in the Leaf, WITCH and Elyon began to feel more comfortable in the village and were starting to improve slightly in their training. Will and Cornelia however were making no progress with Sasuke and Neji. Hay Lin, Taranee, Elyon, and Irma had had enough of the bickering between the four teens and decided to confront Cornelia about it.

"Why can't you make an effort to be nice to Neji?" Taranee asked her.

"You guys don't get it," Cornelia replied.

"Hey we aren't too fond of the guy either, but at least we try to be polite," Hay Lin said.

"Where as you are provoking Neji every chance you get," Irma added.

"Well he's the one that starts it," Cornelia said. "Whenever I do something wrong in training Neji just smirks like he expected that I would." She flopped down onto the couch with a sigh. "Man if we aren't able to go on missions soon, I'm going to become really lazy."

"You say that as if you weren't before," Irma said. She ducked and laughed when Cornelia chucked a pillow at her.

"Speaking of getting along with partners how are you doing with Kiba, Elyon?" Taranee asked the queen.

Elyon sighed. "There's been a little progress. We still annoy the crap out of each other, but we manage to cooperate. His friend Shino is okay, kinda creepy, but okay. Hinata's cool though."

"Who's Hinata?" Taranee asked.

"Just a friend of Kiba's. She's a really sweet girl," Elyon grinned.

Hay Lin raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else about her that you know, but we don't?"

Elyon grinned wider. "You guys are gonna get a kick out of this. She's a Hyuga."

Every head snapped toward Elyon.

"A Hyuga? Do you think she's related to Neji?" Taranee asked.

"She's Neji's cousin actually," Elyon explained.

"Really? Well he never mentions her," Cornelia replied.

Elyon shrugged. "Probably because of some family issue."

Then there was a knock at the door and Hay Lin jumped up and practically ran to the door.

"Expecting someone Hay?" Irma asked.

"Yep," Hay Lin said. Then she opened the door and Naruto was standing there, a huge grin on his face and large box in his hands.

"Hey Hay Lin," He greeted. "I got the ramen you asked for!"

"Thanks Naruto, come on in," Hay Lin said.

"Don't mind if I do, but uh I brought someone along with me," He said sheepishly.

"Who?" Hay Lin asked.

"Come on buddy. They aren't going to kill you!" Naruto cried.

"I doubt it."

"Sasuke?" Hay Lin asked peering outside.

"Hello Hay Lin," Sasuke greeted.

Cornelia walked to the door and put her hands on her hips. "Okay Naruto here's the deal. You can come in." She pointed to Sasuke. "He can't."

The Uchiha glared at her and Cornelia stuck her tongue out at him. Naruto sighed. "Come on just for a few minutes. He'll be on his best behavior."

Cornelia looked at Elyon, Taranee, and Irma and they nodded. She sighed. "Fine he can come in."

As the boys walked in, Sasuke saw that Will was missing. "I see Redhead Wonder is gone."

"She just went on a walk," Irma said.

"I think she said she wanted to go and see the view by the northern cliffs," Elyon added.

Sasuke's head snapped in her direction his eyes wide.

"Is she insane? Those cliffs could give way any minute!" He cried.

"Relax Sasuke. Will's smart. I'm sure she won't get too close to the cliffs," Naruto said.

"Does she even know that the cliffs could collapse?" Sasuke asked the girls.

Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Elyon, and Hay Lin froze and their eyes widened. "Uh…" They all said in unison.

Sasuke did a face palm and quickly ran out of the apartment.

* * *

Will sighed as she breathed in the fresh air. 'Man this is just what I need. It feels so good to be able to relax.' The redhead smiled as she looked out at the view above the cliffs. 'I have to hand it to the Leaf. It has some great views.'

She took a few more steps forward to try to get a better look at what was right below her when suddenly a crack filled the air. Will whipped around and saw the cliff was giving way under her feet. She quickly scrambled to get to safety, but the cliff edge fell away from the rest of it. Will let out a short scream as she started to fall, but then she felt something grab her hand.

Will looked up and gasped when she saw her partner. "Sasuke?"

"Hang on," He cried, as he started to pull Will up.

As soon as Will was near the edge she pulled herself the rest of the way up and scrambled to safety. She leaned against a tree, panting.

"I am such an idiot!" She said.

"No argument," Sasuke muttered as he sat down next to her.

Will turned to send a retort back at him, but then she saw his arm.

"You're bleeding!" She gasped.

Sasuke looked down at the gash in his arm and shrugged. "I've had worse. It's no big deal."

Will scooted closer. "Here let me take a look at it."

"I'm fine," Sasuke snapped, pulling his arm away. As he did he winced in pain. Will rolled her eyes and gently took his arm and examined it.

"Hm, well it doesn't look like it could kill you, and it's not too deep," She said. "We better get it bandaged fast before it gets infected.

Sasuke frowned as he stood up and walked away. Will followed after him.

Will sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you Sasuke. You saved my life back there."

"You're welcome," Sasuke mumbled.

"Why did you save me anyway?"

"I couldn't just let an innocent person die. Enough innocent people have died because of me."

Will's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. Forget I said it," Sasuke replied quickly.

Will looked ahead as she spoke. "You know I think this is the first time we've spoken with yelling at each other."

"I guess you're right," The Uchiha heir nodded.

"How did you even find out I was at the cliffs?" Will asked.

"Your friends said that you were taking a walk there," Sasuke said.

"You were at my apartment?"

"Naruto dragged me along with him to go see Hay Lin."

"Oh."

After a few minutes of awkward silence they reached the edge of the village near the hospital. As they walked past a pretty girl with bright pink hair came out of the hospital. When she saw Sasuke she smiled and waved. "Hey Sasuke!"

"Hi Sakura," Sasuke called back.

"Girlfriend of yours?" Will asked, as Sakura approached them.

"Not even close," Sasuke replied. "She's a friend."

When Sakura got close enough to them, she saw Sasuke's wound and her smile faded instantly. "What happened?" She asked, getting closer to look at his arm.

Sasuke sent a slight glare at Will. "Nothing much, just saving this idiot from falling off the northern cliffs."

Will started to glare back at him, but then shrugged. "I can't really argue with you."

"That's a first," Sasuke said with a smirk.

Will gave a small grin in return. Then she remembered Sakura. "Oh sorry, where are my manners? My name is Will Vandom. And you are?"

"Sakura Haruno," The pinkette replied. "I'm Sasuke and Naruto's teammate."

"Oh yeah, Hay Lin told us that Naruto said you were some expert medical ninja," Will grinned.

Sakura smiled back. "Yep that's me."

Sasuke coughed. "If you two are done with the girl talk I'm losing blood over here."

Sakura turned back to Sasuke and pulled some bandages out of a pocket in her nurse uniform. "Sorry Sasuke," She said.

"Well I should probably be heading back. The others are probably worried," Will said. "Nice meeting you Sakura. See ya later Sasuke."

"Bye Will," Sakura waved. Sasuke nodded his head at her.

Will grinned. 'It looks like Sasuke and I might just start to become friends now,' she thought.

* * *

"I wonder if Will's okay," Hay Lin said pacing back and forth in the apartment.

Naruto placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Calm down Hay Lin. Sasuke's one of the fastest runners in the village. I'm sure Will's fine."

"Still," Hay Lin sighed. "I guess we need to become more familiar with the village."

"So what do you guys like to do for fun?" Naruto asked the other girls.

"Skating," Cornelia replied.

"Drawing," Elyon said.

"Taking pictures," Taranee said, crossing her legs.

"Pulling pranks," Irma laughed. "And being a huge pain."

Naruto laughed and the others smirked and rolled their eyes at Irma.

"You and I should try pulling a prank sometime," Naruto said.

"Maybe," Irma agreed.

"Don't encourage her," Cornelia said to Naruto.

"Hey guys," Will said walking in.

"Will!" the five girls cried, hugging their friend.

"Whoa, okay guys what gives?" Will laughed.

"We were worried that you would fall off the cliffs," Taranee said.

"Well I would have if Sasuke hadn't saved me," Will said.

"Sasuke saved you?" Cornelia asked.

Will nodded. "Yeah and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I had the wrong impression of him."

"Everyone has the wrong impression of him at first," Naruto snickered.

"So does this mean you guys are friends now?" Elyon asked.

"I wouldn't say friends, but I don't think we'll bicker as much anymore," Will said.

"Great," Cornelia frowned. "Looks like it's just me and Elyon now."

"You'll live," Irma giggled.

"Does anybody want ramen?" Hay Lin asked.

"No thanks I'm not really that hungry," Will said.

"I'm going to meet Ino for lunch, so no thanks," Irma said.

"None for me," Cornelia added.

"Same," Elyon and Taranee nodded.

"Well I do," Naruto grinned.

"Of course you do," Hay Lin laughed as she and Naruto headed to the kitchen to cook the ramen.

"Those two are getting along really well," Cornelia observed as she watched the spiky haired blonde and the petite brunette laughing.

"Maybe a little too well," Irma said with a grin.

Will shook her head. "Yeah right. Hay Lin is still crazy about Eric. I doubt she likes Naruto that way."

Irma shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Elyon sighed. "I'll see you guys later, I have to train with Kiba."

"Good luck with that," Will smiled.

"Yeah we have to go and train with Lee and Neji," Cornelia said as she and Taranee made their way out the door.

"And I'm going to meet Ino now. See you later Will," Irma grinned.

"Bye guys," Will said as they walked out.

"The girls gone?"Naruto asked, sitting on the couch with a bowl of ramen.

"Yep," Will said sitting down next to him.

Hay Lin slurped her own ramen with a grin. "Guys guess what? There's only-"

"Yes, we know there's only 23 more days until Christmas Hay Lin. If you mention it again I'm going to scream," Will said.

Hay Lin blushed and looked down while Naruto laughed.

"So Hay Lin's excited for Christmas?" He asked.

"Ya think?" Will asked grinning at him.

"The only thing that'll sucks is that we won't be spending Christmas with our families," Hay Lin said putting her chin in her hands.

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah well don't worry about it. Every year we have this huge Christmas party for the ninja in our year and I think that you guys will like it."

Will and Hay Lin grinned at each other. "Maybe," They said in unison.

As Will watched Naruto and Hay Lin talking, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Irma was right. 'They are getting along really well after all.' Then she thought of how she and Sasuke would be getting along better and grinned. 'This place keeps on getting better and better.' She thought happily.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As Elyon walked to the training grounds to meet Kiba, a cold wind swept around her and she shivered. 'I need to start wearing a jacket,' she thought. Then she smiled and slowed down a little bit enjoying the time she had by herself. In Meridian she had always been accompanied by either Caleb or Vathek whenever she went anywhere and hardly ever had time to leave the castle as busy as she was. 'It's nice to have a bit of freedom,' Tthe queen grinned.

When she reached the training grounds, Elyon saw Kiba playing with Akamaru while Hinata sat on a rock nearby watching them with a smile. Elyon watched as Kiba and Akamaru chased each other around.

"Come on Akamaru you can run faster than that!" Kiba cried. Akamaru barked and lunged at Kiba pinning him to the ground.

Elyon chuckled and she realized that Kiba didn't look like his usual cocky self. Instead he looked kind and a bit sweet.

'Maybe I had the wrong impression about him,' Elyon thought.

"Hello Elyon," A monotone voice said behind her.

Elyon whirled around and saw Shino standing behind her. She placed a hand over her heart. "Shino don't do that. You nearly scared me to death."

"Sorry," Shino apologized.

"Hey blondie!" Kiba greeted as he came over.

"Will you please stop calling me that?" Elyon asked, her kindness towards Kiba evaporating.

Kiba shrugged. "Sorry, just teasing you. So let's get started."

"What are you going to teach me today?" Elyon asked.

Kiba picked up two kunai and tossed one to Elyon who caught it easily.

"We're going to have a little fight using kunai," Kiba explained. "It doesn't have anything to do with jutsu I know, but I just want to see how you fight with weapons."

Elyon smiled a little smug smile. Kiba didn't know it, but Elyon had a knack for fighting with daggers and swords. Back on Meridian she had annoyed Vathek until he had consented, rather unwillingly, to teach the queen how to fight with swords and daggers.

"Bring it on," Elyon said, twirling the kunai around her index finger.

Kiba smirked and he and Elyon both bent down in a crouch waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"This should be interesting to watch," Shino said as he stood by Hinata.

Kiba lunged at Elyon who quickly held up her kunai blocking his attack. She pushed him back and went at him. Elyon and Kiba attacked and blocked each other and Kiba had to admit that this was Elyon's area of expertise.

"I gotta give you credit Elyon. You're pretty good at this," He said.

Elyon smirked. "A friend taught me about this a while ago."

As they continued their fight, Kiba noticed that Elyon had a sort of fire in her eyes and seemed to be enjoying herself now more then she had for the past few days.

"You like fighting with weapons I take it," Kiba said, blocking Elyon's attack.

"Ya think?" Elyon grinned as she dodged his kunai.

The training went on for a few more minutes and Kiba was impressed with Elyon's skill. He was also slightly annoyed about the small scratches and nicks she had given him. She did like to play dirty. Kiba smirked and whistled. Before Elyon could ask what he was doing, Akamaru tackled her to the ground.

Grinning Elyon lightly pushed Akamaru off of her and faced Kiba. "You cheated," She accused lightly.

Kiba shrugged totally unrepentant, a smirk on his face. "I couldn't let you win now could I?"

Elyon smiled. "I guess not."

Hinata and Shino were watching with interest. It had been pretty clear to them that Kiba had been a little bit more then slightly impressed with Elyon's improvement. She was close to having the skill of a genin in just a few days.

"She's a lot stronger than we thought she was," Shino said.

Hinata nodded, smiling as Kiba and Elyon started another round of the kunai fight. "Yes, but at least she doesn't brag about it. She's very kind."

As Elyon danced around Kiba she suddenly slipped and a sharp pain filled her ankle.

"Ow!" She cried she examined her ankle.

Kiba knelt down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Elyon said as she tried to stand up. She cringed as she put weight on her ankle and stumbled backward. Kiba caught her before she could fall.

"I think you might have sprained your ankle," He said, setting her back down on the ground.

"Great," Elyon groaned.

Kiba grinned. "Don't worry about it. At least you can get out of training for a while."

Elyon smiled. "That is true."

"Come on. Akamaru and I will take you home," Kiba said he helped Elyon onto Akamaru's back.

"Thank you Kiba," Elyon said.

Akamaru barked sounding insulted.

Elyon laughed. "Thanks Akamaru," She said rubbing his head.

Kiba turned to Shino and Hinata. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay Kiba," Hinata said. "I hope your ankle feels better Elyon."

"Thanks Hinata," Elyon said as they headed towards the apartment.

* * *

A few training grounds away, Cornelia and Taranee were panting trying to catch their breath after an hour of training with Gai, Lee, and Neji. Cornelia was already sore from the 64 palms attack from Neji and she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to move her arms at all tomorrow. Then Gai had showed up and had insisted that they all run 200 laps around the village. Cornelia and Taranee had only been able to 45 running and only two walking. They were currently on their knees as their legs had given out a while ago.

"I swear these guys are trying to kill us!" Cornelia said.

"They just train really, really hard, that's all," Taranee said.

Neji rolled his eyes as he leaned against a tree nearby. He had decided to only do a few laps. He was impressed by the girls though. He could tell that they had tried their hardest.

Before Cornelia could retort at Taranee, Gai and Lee ran up, having completed their 200 laps. Gai grinned when he saw Taranee and Cornelia.

"Well ladies, I'm impressed. You managed to finish before Lee and I!" He cried.

Cornelia stared at him in disbelief. 'Is this guy as insane as he looks?'

Taranee sighed. "Actually Gai Sensei, Cornelia and I could only do 47 laps. We couldn't do all 200."

Gai still smiled. "Well that's okay. It was a little bit hard I admit."

Cornelia opened her mouth to say something either rude or sarcastic, but a look from Taranee silenced her.

Lee grinned. "I am sure that you tried your hardest Taranee!"

Taranne grinned. "Thanks Lee."

Gai stretched. "Well I think you ladies have done enough training for today. Neji, Lee, I want you guys to see Cornelia and Taranee home. I'm going to go and find Kakashi for another challenge."

Neji sighed and walked towards Cornelia. "Let's go," He said.

"Uh Neji," Cornelia said.

"What?" Neji asked.

"I don't think I can walk," Cornelia admitted.

Neji rolled his eyes and put one of Cornelia's arms over his shoulder.

"Thank you," Cornelia said as Neji helped her walk.

Lee turned to Taranee. "Can you walk?"

"Probably not," Taranee said.

Before Taranee could say anything else, Lee had swept her up and slung her on his back.

"What are you doing?" Taranee asked.

"Taking you home," Lee replied.

Then he ran towards Taranee's apartment. To say Taranee was shocked at how fast Lee ran was a major understatement. She was absolutely terrified. She never knew anyone could run so fast. Two minutes later they were at Taranee's apartment and Taranee was practically petrified.

"Alright, Taranee, you can get off now," Lee said. Then he noticed that Taranee couldn't get off as frozen as she was. With a smile he gentle helped Taranee off and set her on the ground.

"I am sorry. I did not know that would scare you so bad," Lee laughed slightly.

Taranee shook her head. "It's okay. I'll be fine in a few minutes," She assured him.

Lee nodded. "See you later Taranee," He said taking off again.

Taranee shook her head and laughed as she stumbled into her apartment.

* * *

Farther back Neji was moving much slower then Lee was suited Cornelia just fine. She was pretty sure that Taranee was scared to death of Lee's running.

"I'm impressed with you Cornelia," Neji said.

"What did I do?" Cornelia asked.

"I didn't know you would be able to do 47 laps," He exclaimed.

"Well thank you," She said.

"Of course if you were better you would have made it to 50," Neji added.

Cornelia glared at him and stopped walking. She smoothly removed her arm from his shoulder and stepped away from him, despite the fact that her legs were sore.

"What is your deal?!" She cried. "Whenever I do something right you just have to go and be a jerk saying that if I were stronger I would do better!"

Neji glared at her. "I'm not saying that you don't have talent. You just need to improve that's all. I'm trying to motivate you."

"Well I already know I need to improve! And your form of motivation isn't exactly helping much at all now is it?!" Cornelia practically screeched.

They glared at each other before Cornelia turned away. Before she could get a few feet away, she remembered what her friends had said about her and Neji getting along. She sighed and turned back around. Neji was still glaring at her.

"Are you going to yell at more again?" He asked coldly.

Cornelia took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," She said. "I guess I overreacted."

"You guess?" Neji asked raising an eyebrow.

"Okay I majorly overacted," Cornelia admitted. "I guess I've just been in a bad mood for the past few days."

"Why?" Neji asked, curious.

Cornelia sighed. "It wasn't exactly my choice to come to the leaf and now I'm stuck here without my family for a while."

Neji nodded. "I can see why that would make you upset."

Cornelia nodded. "I am sorry about yelling at you."

"Apology accepted and I apologize for giving you the apparently wrong type of motivation," Neji said.

Cornelia grinned. "So when do you want to meet again for training."

"Actually there won't be any training. I have a mission tomorrow."

"Oh," Cornelia said. "Well good luck then."

"Will you be able to make it home alright or do I still have to help you?" Neji asked.

"I think I can walk," Cornelia replied, suddenly remembering how sore her legs were.

Neji nodded and took off.

Cornelia sighed. "Well we're all getting along now," She said.

* * *

Irma and Ino laughed as they entered the Yamanaka flower shop. "That food was great!" Irma said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Ino smiled.

"I just feel bad that you had to pay for it," Irma said. "I don't get money until I start going on missions and, for the time being, I'm downright broke."

Ino chuckled. "Don't worry about Irma. How's training coming?"

Irma sighed. "It's going okay, but Shikamaru is so lazy, most days I barely learn anything."

"Have you had to go over to his house and wake him up again?" Ino asked.

Irma's head dropped. "I go over there every morning and I have to almost literally drag him out of that sloppy bed of his."

"Then you've met his parents?" Ino asked.

Irma grinned. "You bet I have. Yoshino is awesome. She and I get along great. Shikaku thinks that it's hilarious that I come over every morning. He says that from now on I can just walk right in through the door and up to Shikamaru's room."

Ino laughed. "Are you serious?"

Irma giggled. "You better believe it."

Ino put on her apron and started arranging flowers and Irma took a look at all the bouquets.

"Did you arrange all these Ino?"

"Yes I did," Ino replied proudly.

"They're beautiful," Irma said.

Ino put a pot on the shelf and turned to Irma. "Hey Irma you said you wanted to make money right?"

"Yeah," Irma said turning to her friend.

"Well the shop's been kinda busy lately and I could use a little extra help," Ino said.

Irma smiled widely and threw her arms around her friend's neck. "Thank you Ino!"

"So does that mean you want the job?" Ino grinned.

Irma nodded. "Heck yeah I want the job! When can I start?"

"You can start tomorrow afternoon, right after your training. I'll work in the mornings and you can work afternoons," Ino explained.

Irma pumped her fists. "This totally rocks! Now I can go brag to Corny."

"Why?" Ino asked.

"Because she always said that I would never get a job before her," Irma laughed.

Ino smiled. "So I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

"You betcha!" Irma said. "Thanks again Ino!"

"You're welcome Irma," Ino said.

As Irma walked out of the flower shop she turned and came face to face with Shikamaru.

"Oh hey Shikamaru," She said.

"So you have a job now?" He asked.

"Yep. And don't think this is going to stop me from coming over in the mornings," Irma smirked.

"Speaking of that I'm going on a mission tomorrow with Neji, Naruto, and Kiba so we won't have training," Shikamaru explained. "It's a drag, but I thought I might as well tell you."

Irma nodded. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"My mom would probably still like to see you though. You're both so troublesome, but my mom practically adores you," Shikamaru said.

"Your mom is an absolute gem, Shikamaru," Irma said. "Tell her I might be able to stop by for a few minutes."

Shikamaru nodded. "And another thing. The mission might last a few days so you might want to train with either Sasuke or Lee."

Irma scowled. "You aren't leaving me with very good options. I don't want to train with Lee because from Cornelia's description he's insane and Sasuke is a no because he's an ice cube."

Shikamaru smirked. "They're okay once you get to them troublesome woman."

Irma shrugged. "Either way I would rather have you train me than anyone else."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Irma shrugged. "To be honest with you even I don't know. I guess it's because you have more experience than the others."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks," He muttered.

Irma smiled and started to leave. As she walked past Shikamaru she stood up on tip toe and quickly pecked Shikamaru on the cheek.

Shikamaru looked at her in bewilderment and Irma smiled softly. "That's for good luck. On your mission I mean."

Shikamaru looked away awkwardly. "Well thanks, I guess."

"See ya later!" Irma waved before sprinting away.

As she left Shikamaru touched the spot where she had kissed him and felt his face grow slightly warm. In the Yamanaka flower shop Ino watched the whole thing from the window and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm I may have to talk with Irma tomorrow."

* * *

Hay Lin laughed as Naruto finished telling her about the time he had painted the Hokage mountain 6 years ago.

"You must have gotten in so much trouble!" Hay Lin said between giggles.

Naruto shrugged. "It wasn't too bad. I'd had worse before that."

"You're unbelievable Naruto," Will said from her perch on the chair across from them.

"He's a genius that's what he is," Elyon said. She had joined them recently after Kiba had told them about her ankle.

Naruto chuckled. "Thanks Elyon."

"Kiba told me that you want to be Hokage someday, Naruto. Is that true?" Elyon asked.

Naruto grinned. "Yep to be Hokage is my dream, believe it!"

"You must really care about the village then," Hay Lin said.

Naruto nodded. "I'd give my life to protect this village, Hay Lin."

Hay Lin and Naruto smiled at each other and Elyon and Will shared a glance out of the corners of their eyes.

_'What do you think about this Will?'_ Elyon asked telepathically.

_'I'm starting to think that Irma's theory is somewhat correct,'_ Will answered.

_'So you think Hay Lin and Naruto might just…_'

Will shook her head slightly. _'I don't think it's to that point yet, but it might be headed in that general direction.'_

_'Well we'll just have to wait and see,'_ Elyon said.

Naruto looked at the clock and frowned. "Sorry ladies, but I've gotta go."

"Training?" Hay Lin asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Actually I'm going on a mission tomorrow and I need all the sleep I can get since I'll have to leave at about 4 in the morning." He turned to Will and smirked. "You should understand how it feels to get up at 4 in the morning."

"Shut up!" Will laughed chucking a pillow at the ramen lover.

"How long will the mission last?" Elyon asked.

"Three days, maybe more," Naruto said. "Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji are going too."

"So that basically just leaves us with three days of nothing to do," Will said.

"Hey guys!" Irma said as she opened the door and walked in.

"Hey Irma," Elyon greeted.

Irma grinned. "You guys are never going to believe this. I got a job!"

"Really?" Elyon asked.

Hay Lin smirked. "Yeah who would hire you?"

Irma rolled her eyes at her best friend, knowing that Hay Lin was kidding. "Ino gave me a part time job at the flower shop."

"Sounds cool, Irma," Will said.

Naruto stood up from where he sat and stretched. "Well it's been fun guys."

"Bye Naruto. Good luck on your mission," Will said.

"Yeah don't do anything stupid," Elyon added.

Hay Lin smiled at her blonde haired friend. "You'll do great."

Naruto grinned back. "Thanks Hay Lin."

After Naruto had left and Hay Lin had gone next door to her own apartment Irma, Will and Elyon immediately began to converse.

"So, was I right about Hay Lin liking Naruto a bit too much?" Irma asked.

"We're not completely sure yet, but we think so," Elyon said.

"Okay five bucks says that they get together right around Christmas," Irma said.

"You're forgetting about Eric guys," Will put in. "I know for a fact that Hay Lin is still crazy about Eric and with Naruto in the picture things might get complicated."

"She had a point," Elyon said.

Irma shrugged. "So a little drama will make this a little more entertaining and I really think that Hay Lin and Naruto are kinda cute together to be honest with you."

"We just have to sit back and what's meant to happen will," The keeper said standing up and going to her room.

"Five bucks says that they get together before Christmas," Irma said.

"You're so on," Elyon said shaking Irma's hand.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next morning, Irma and Elyon were hanging out in their apartment since they had no training, and Irma's shift at the Yamanaka flower shop didn't start for a few more hours.

"I wonder how Kiba and Shikamaru are doing on their mission," Elyon said.

Irma shrugged and put her feet against the wall as she lay upside down on her bed. "They're probably doing fine."

"Yeah, but their mission will last for a while. It must be hard," Elyon said.

"Shikamaru told me that missions get harder the more you progress. When you're a genin, which is basically what we are, the missions are pretty simple. Only some of the strongest genin are chosen for tough missions," Irma explained.

"Did Shikamaru tell you how to advance to the next rank of ninja?" Elyon asked.

Irma nodded. "They have this thing called a Chunin exam where genin do a sort of tournament and judges watch them and decide whether or not the genin should advance to chunin."

"So the winners of the tournament become chunin?"

"It doesn't matter if they win or not. Shikamaru said that during the first chunin exam he and other ninja of his year were in, he was the only one of them to advance to chunin and he didn't win his battle," Irma said.

"The only one? Wow. Shikamaru must have more skill than we thought," Elyon said. "I wonder who he went up against."

"All I know is that he fought a girl from the sand village. He says she's a few years older than us and she can be very scary," Irma said. "Shikamaru told me she comes to the village a lot so we might get a chance to meet her."

Elyon nodded. "She sounds pretty cool."

A knock on the door made the girls look up.

"Can you get that?" Elyon asked her friend.

"Why can't you get it?" Irma asked, not getting up from her laid down position.

"Uh hello, my ankle," Elyon said pointing to her sprained ankle.

Irma sighed and slowly got up and walked to the door. When she opened it she saw a young woman who looked like she was about 19 or 20 years old.

"Hello, can I help you?" Irma asked.

"Are you Irma Lair?" The woman asked.

"Who wants to know?" Irma asked narrowing her eyes.

The woman smiled. "My name is Temari and I'm not an enemy so don't worry."

Irma relaxed. "Okay so why are you here?"

"Lady Hokage said that the crybaby was teaching you how to be a ninja and I just wanted to come and meet you."

"Crybaby?" Irma asked.

Temari laughed. "That's what I call Shikamaru."

"Why?" Irma asked.

"Long story Irma. So can I come in?"

"Sure Temari," Irma said stepping aside.

Elyon glanced up when Temari came in. "Uh hi," She greeted awkwardly.

"Hello," Temari greeted back.

Irma walked in. "Temari meet my friend Elyon. Elyon this is Temari. She says she knows Shikamaru."

Elyon nodded. "So how do you know Shikamaru?" She asked Temari.

Temari sat down on the couch. "I've known him for years, ever since I beat him in the chunin exams."

Irma and Elyon's heads snapped in her direction.

"What?" Temari asked.

"Shikamaru told me a little about you," Irma said. "He said that you could be very scary."

Temari smirked. "Well that's just his personal opinion. So do you know where he is?"

"He's on a mission and he'll be gone for a while," Elyon said.

Temari groaned. "Go figure. He could at least tell me when he's going on missions so I wouldn't come all the way here to just waste my time waiting for him to get back."

"So is Shikamaru your boyfriend?" Irma asked.

Temari laughed. "You've got to be joking. Shikamaru is a good friend and all, but I don't like him that way." She smirked at Irma. "What about you? Do you like Shikamaru that way?"

Irma's face flushed a little as she thought back to the kiss on the cheek she had given him yesterday. "N-no I don't have any feeling for him," Irma said. After she had said that she felt a tiny little knot of unease tighten in her gut, but she didn't know why.

Temari grinned and stood up. "Well it was nice meeting you. I have to go and see Lady Hokage about some things."

"You'll have to stop by again sometime," Elyon said.

"That'd be nice," Temari smiled.

"Bye Temari," Irma waved.

As soon as Temari was gone, Irma turned to Elyon, blushing lightly. "Um Elyon?"

"Yeah?"

"What does it feel like when you have… feelings for someone?" Irma asked.

Irma now had Elyon's entire attention. "Why do you ask?"

Irma bit her lip trying to think of a reason. "Well I'm the only one of W.I.T.C.H. whose never had a boyfriend before and I don't know what it feels like."

Elyon raised an eyebrow. "You mean you still don't have a boyfriend?"

Irma frowned. "You're gonna laugh at me for this, heaven knows Cornelia did for the longest time, but to be honest with you, I'm waiting for 'the one' if you know what I mean."

Elyon giggled. "So you want that whole love at first sight thing?"

Irma shook her head. "Not exactly, but I don't want to have to go through all the heartbreak and stuff that comes with relationships. I just one to find the right guy for me. The one who can I always count on and who I'll know will always love and care for me."

Elyon smirked. "Well you always have Martin Tubbs."

Irma glared at her friend. "Shut up! I don't like Martin that way!"

As Elyon continued to tease her, Irma couldn't help but glance out the window every few minutes and wonder how Shikamaru was. 'I wonder if he's thinking about me.'

* * *

Said shinobi, sighed as he rested against a tree. 'Missions are always a drag, especially the longer ones.'

He, Neji, Naruto, and Kiba had just been in a fight with some of the ninja they were supposed to take down and they were resting for a while after the enemy had, regrettably, kicked their butts.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Naruto in curiosity. For pretty much the whole time they had been on this mission, Naruto had been unusually quiet. Everyone had noticed after a few minutes and had asked him what was wrong, but he hadn't answered.

"So what's on your mind, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto sighed. "I'm just thinking about Hay Lin."

"You're tiny partner with the long pigtails?" The lazy genius asked.

Naruto nodded. "Hay Lin is a lot different than other girls, in a good way, and I can't seem to get my mind off of her."

Shikamaru nodded. He didn't want to say anything, but he himself couldn't stop thinking about Irma. He brought a hand up to the cheek she had kissed and flushed lightly. 'What a drag,' He sighed. Shikamaru wasn't quite sure why he got this warm feeling whenever he thought about Irma, but he had a good idea on what it might be. 'I can't believe I might actually like her.'

He felt something cold drop on the tip of his nose and looked up. Tiny little flakes of white were swirling down onto the ground.

Naruto looked up and smiled. "Well what do you know? It's snowing."

"I wonder if Irma likes the snow," Shikamaru said without thinking.

Naruto's head snapped in his friend's direction and even Neji and Kiba looked over at him.

"Why did you mention Irma?" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru flushed. "Well uh…"

"Are you blushing?" Neji asked with slight disbelief.

Naruto smirked. "You like Irma, don't you?"

Shikamaru glared at him. "So? You like Hay Lin."

That one shut Naruto up, but you could tell he was itching to deny it.

Neji and Kiba rolled their eyes and dropped the subject. Shikamaru sighed again and put his hands behind his head. 'I wonder what the troublesome woman is doing.'

* * *

Will breathed deeply as she stood in the middle of the training grounds. She closed her eyes and smiled slightly. Suddenly a kunai shot out of the trees towards her. Will quickly back flipped out of the kunai's way.

As soon as she was stable again she felt some one behind her. Will immediately sprang out of the way before he could get a grasp on her.

Sasuke smirked as Will turned to face him. "You're getting better at this."

"Thanks," Will laughed.

A few minutes later Will held a kunai at Sasuke's throat and Sasuke had a kunai pressed against Will's back and both were panting.

"Not bad," Sasuke said.

Will smirked and put the kunai down. "So when are going to teach me the more powerful stuff?"

"Like what?" Sasuke asked.

Will shrugged. "I don't know just something that involves something other than weapons."

Sasuke thought for a minute. "Well I there's always the Chidori."

"Chi-what now?" Will asked.

"Chidori," Sasuke said. "A justu that Kakashi invented and it involves the element lightning."

"Lightning?" Will asked immediately brightening up.

"Yeah, though it might be a little to advanced for where you are in your training," Sasuke asked.

"So there are jutsus that involves elements?"

"Yes, although shinobi tend to specialize in one certain element more than the other elements."

Will nodded, but she was having a party inside her head. 'Oh yeah! Man the girls are going to freak when I tell them this!' She cheered inside her head.

"Well I think I could handle the Chidori if you decide to teach it to me," Will said calmly.

"Maybe in a few weeks just in case," Sasuke said.

Then they noticed a few snowflakes floating down from the sky.

"Hey it's snowing!" Will said happily.

"You like the snow?" Sasuke asked.

"Are you kidding I love the snow!" Will said. Then she turned to her partner. "While I'm thinking about it, what are you doing for Christmas, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well Naruto said there would be a Christmas party. Are you going to that?"

"Parties aren't really my thing," Sasuke said.

"Oh come on. You should come. I'm not much of a party person either, but it would be a bit more fun if you came," Will said.

Sasuke smiled slightly. "Maybe."

The Uchiha then sat down and leaned against a tree and pulled a tomato out of his pack and began to eat it. Will raised her eyebrows.

"You like tomatoes?" She asked.

Sasuke nodded and swallowed. "Yeah. Let me guess you think it's weird."

Will smiled and reached in her own bag pulling out a tomato. "Actually I love them too." She sat down next to Sasuke and held up her tomato. Sasuke understood and tapped his tomato against Will's before they both started to eat the fruit.

* * *

Hay Lin sighed as she leaned against the window in her room. Naruto was gone already and she couldn't help, but wonder if her new friend was safe. She didn't know how these missions worked, but she knew that they could be dangerous from what Naruto had told her.

Hay Lin shook her head and smiled. 'Nah I'm sure Naruto's safe. He's a great shinobi and I'm sure he's doing fine.'

She looked down and saw her sketch book on the floor and picked it up. Whenever she was feeling anxious she usually started drawing. For a few minutes Hay Lin drew without realizing what she was sketching. When she looked down she did a double take at the picture it was of her and Naruto. Naruto had his arm around Hay Lin giving the thumbs ups and Hay Lin was laughing.

The air guardian quickly shook her head and turned the sketchbook over blinking rapidly. 'Holy crap! Where the freak did that come from?' She put a hand to her head and shook her head. 'Do I like Naruto? No I can't not when I'm with Eric. Ugh why is this happening?'

Hay Lin took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Something wrong Hay Lin?" Taranee asked as she walked in from training with Lee.

Hay Lin bit her lip wondering if she should tell Tarane. "Well it involves Naruto."

"What about him?" Taranee asked, sitting down next to her friend.

"Well Naruto and I have kind of bonded since I got to know him better and well, I haven't been thinking much about Eric. Naruto is a great guy and he's funny and I like him, but I think I might have a little crush on him," Hay Lin explained.

Taranee smiled. "And that's a bad thing?"

Hay Lin sighed. "Taranee, technically Eric is still my boyfriend and I can't exactly tell that to Naruto, who I think I might have feeling for! This is so confusing."

Taranee put a comforting arm around her friend's shoulder. "Hay Lin, I don't know much when it comes to dating, but I think that you should just go with whatever will make you happy. I know things will work out whatever you do."

Hay Lin smiled slightly. "Thanks Tara I could use the help."

Taranee leaned back and folded her arms. "Yeah from Elyon told me Irma's having a bit of drama too."

"Really?" Hay Lin asked.

Taranee nodded. "Elyon told me that she thinks Irma might like Shikamaru."

Hay Lin thought about that and smiled. "Well they do make a cute match if you think about it. Shikamaru seems like Irma's type. I mean the calm and laid back kind of guy is so what Irma needs."

"Well I need to go and put a hot pad on my back, because I just about broke it during training with Lee," Taranee said with a slight laugh as she stood up.

Hay Lin grinned and then looked down at the drawing of her and Naruto. She rubbed her head and closed her eyes. 'This is going to be a long few weeks.'

* * *

Irma grinned as she walked into the Yamanaka flower shop. "Hey Ino, Irma Lair reporting for duty!"

Ino smiled widely as she came from the back room and tossed Irma an apron. "Welcome abroad my friend."

Irma put the apron on and took her place behind the counter. "So did you hear about Shikamaru being on the mission?"

"Yeah I did," Ino said. Then she paused. "I also saw you give him that kiss yesterday."

Irma froze. She inwardly groaned. That kiss was the last thing she wanted to think about and now Ino knew about it. She turned to her friend. "It was only a good luck kiss."

Ino grinned. "I doubt Shikamaru will need it. He, Neji, Naruto, and Kiba are a great team. Knowing them there's a good chance that they're done with their mission by now."

"Really?" Irma asked.

Ino nodded. "I'm willing to bet that Shikamaru will be back by tonight."

Irma ducked her head so Ino wouldn't see her grin. 'Sweet he'll be back soon.'

* * *

Naruto grunted as he pulled a kunai out of his arm. He, Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba had just won a battle against the ninja they were supposed to capture. They had fought hard and since they defeated the shinobi the mission was over and they could head home.

As they jumped from tree to tree on their way back to the leaf through the snow, Naruto grinned at the idea of seeing Hay Lin again. It would be a few more hours to the village and he couldn't wait to see his friend again. 'Well maybe we can be more than friends,' He thought. Naruto smiled softly as he thought of his pretty partner. He had to admit that she was different from all the other girls he knew. She was pretty, yet she didn't care what people thought of her. Hay Lin also looked inside a person and didn't like a person just because of looks. That's what Naruto liked about her. He could be himself around her and she could be herself around him.

"You're still really quiet Naruto," Kiba said, snapping said blonde out of his day dream.

"Still thinking about Hay Lin?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto blushed. "Shut up! So I like her a little, that doesn't mean anything!"

"I'd say you like her more than just a little," Neji put in.

Naruto growled in frustration, but didn't say anything because he knew his friends would still tease him.

Around nightfall the group arrived at the village and Shikamaru turned to his friends. "You guys go see Tsunade. I have something I need to take care of."

Neji and Kiba left without a word, but Naruot smirked at his friend. "Gonna go see Irma huh?"

Shikamaru glared and took off leaving the snickering blonde behind. 'This is such a pain.' He thought. But this was something he knew he would have to face sooner or later and he wanted to get it over with. 'Troublesome woman's gonna be the death of me.'

* * *

Irma smiled as she hung up her apron at the Yamanaka flower shop. 'This is the best job ever!' She grinned.

The door jingled behind her and Irma turned expecting to see Ino, but instead she saw Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru hey!" Irma grinned. "Wow, Ino was right. You guys are fast."

"I need to talk to you," Shikamaru said.

Irma paused and started to get worried. "This doesn't have to do with the kiss on the cheek I gave you yesterday, does it?"

Shikamaru smirked. "Good guess."

Irma groaned and hung her head. "Great."

"Irma," Shikamaru said, making the girl glance up.

"Yeah?" Irma asked.

Shikamaru smiled and it was the most sincere smile Irma had seen him give. "What would you say to going to the Christmas party with me?"

**END OF CHAPTER**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Irma was very nervous as she walked down the street with her friends towards the Christmas party two weeks after she had accepted Shikamaru's request.

"Will you relax already Irma?" Cornelia asked as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.

"I can't help it if I'm nervous I mean Shikamaru asked me to this thing two weeks ago and we've hardly seen each other at all since he's been escorting Temari around and Ino's needed my help at the flower shop," Irma said.

Will rolled her eyes and readjusted her Santa hat. "I'm sure Shikamaru will still like you."

Irma self consciously looked down at her red silk shirt, black leather jacket and black jeans. She normally didn't mind what she wore, but this was technically her first official date with a guy ever and she wanted to look good for Shikamaru.

Hay Lin swung her arms as she walked. "I'm kinda nervous about seeing Naruto."

"Don't worry about it Hay," Elyon said soothingly. She and Irma had been watching Hay Lin and Naruto very carefully and were downright positive that Naruto had feeling for Hay Lin and vice versa. They had even gotten Ino and Kiba in on their bet.

"So Will, has Sasuke finally consented to teach you the Chidori?" Taranee asked.

Will sighed loudly. "Not yet. I'm thinking that if I just keep bugging him he'll agree to it."

"You can ask him tonight. I'm sure he'll be there," Cornelia said.

* * *

Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets as he waited for Irma. He was very uncomfortable in the formal clothing his mother had made him wear. The lazy man sighed when he remembered how thrilled Yoshino had been when she found out that her son had a date with Irma. Shikamaru just hoped that his mother wouldn't get super dramatic over everything.

'Who the heck am I kidding,' Shikamaru thought. 'That troublesome woman is probably planning a wedding for all I know. This is such a pain!'

Chouji and Ino rolled their eyes was they watched their friend.

"Boy he's really worked up isn't he?" Ino said to Chouji.

Chouji nodded. "Yep. I just hope he calms down before he has an anxiety attack."

Shikamaru frowned slightly as he heard the exchange between the two. Before he could turn to them he saw something red out of the corner of his eye. Shikamaru turned to look and the second his eyes rested on the girl that had just walked in his jaw practically hit the floor. 'Oh man,' He thought as he stared at Irma and tried to compose himself at the same time.

Ino snickered at Shikamaru, but she honestly couldn't blame him. Irma looked fantastic in her outfit. She nudged Chouji and the two of them left so Irma and Shikamaru could have some privacy.

Irma blushed as she made her way towards Shikamaru. 'Wow. I gotta hand it to him, the guy makes one hot shinobi.'

"Hey Shikamaru," She greeted.

"Hey yourself," Shikamaru replied.

"This is a great setup," Irma said looking around.

"Yeah. I'm glad you showed up."

"Were you worried I wasn't?"

"Not really," Shikamaru lied.

* * *

Hay Lin and Will watched from the sidelines as Irma and Shikamaru talked.

"Seriously why doesn't he just ask Irma to dance already?" Will asked.

Hay Lin shrugged. "Just let them have fun."

"Hey Hay Lin, Will!" Naruto said making his way over to them with Sasuke.

"Sasuke you came!" Will said excitedly.

Sasuke gave her an annoyed look. "I said I would, didn't I? Besides if I hadn't, you three, Kakashi, and Sakura would have dragged me here anyway."

Will, Naruto, and Hay Lin snickered. They and the rest of team seven had consistently pestered Sasuke about him coming the party. He had agreed so they would give him some peace and quiet.

Naruto smiled at the air guardian. "You look great Hay Lin. Very festive."

Sasuke raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the dark hair girl. Hay Lin had gone full out with her outfit dressing up in a red velvet dress that stopped a few inches above her knees with white fake fur on the sleeves and hem. She had on stripped green and red tight, pointed red shoes and to top it all off a Santa hat was perched on top of her head and green and red ribbons were braided into her hair.

Hay Lin giggled at Sasuke's expression. "Just because you're a Grinch doesn't mean I can't have fun."

An upbeat song blasted over the speakers and Naruto grabbed Hay Lin's hand. "Let's dance Hay!"

As the two ran off to the dance floor Sasuke and Will stared after them. "Do you think that they might become a couple?" Will asked.

"I'm not one for knowing about relationships, but I think they might, considering that all Naruto talks about is Hay Lin," Sasuke replied.

Will nodded. "I think Hay Lin has feelings for Naruto too. And she's a little scared about it."

Sasuke didn't go on about the subject and the two stood there in silence for a few minutes until Sakura danced up to them.

"Hey Will, hey Sasuke"

"Hi Sakura," Will waved.

Sakura looked from Sasuke to Will then back to Sasuke. "Sasuke, why don't you ask Will to dance?"

Both of their eyes widened and they stared at Sakura in shock. "What?!"

"Oh come on you guys should have some fun!" Sakura insisted.

Will narrowed her eyes. "Did Cornelia put you up to this?"

Sakura shook her head, but her eyes were too innocent. "Just go and have fun. It's Christmas for crying out loud!"

With that she pushed Will and Sasuke onto the dance floor. They realized that they had no choice whatsoever and just decided to sway a little awkwardly to the music.

* * *

Cornelia and Taranee laughed as they watched Will and Sasuke.

"This is classic," Cornelia laughed.

"I still can't believe that you paid Sakura to get them to dance," Taranee scolded lightly.

Cornelia shrugged unrepentant. "Will needs to get a little more partying in her system. I swear that every time there's a party we almost have to drag her to get her to come."

"Can't argue with that," Taranee grinned.

"This is so youthful!"

Taranee and Cornelia grinned and rolled their eyes. They didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Hey Lee. Hi Neji," Taranee said as they came over.

Lee looked like he was having a blast and Neji looked like he would rather be training then be here.

"You don't look like your having fun at all Neji," Cornelia pointed out with a smirk.

"Lee dragged me here," He admitted.

"Let me guess. He said that if you didn't come you would be deemed un-youthful and you did want to put up with him hanging this over your head," Taranee said.

Cornelia raised an amused eyebrow at Taranee and Lee and Neji were surprised.

"How did you know?" Neji asked.

Taranee smiled. "I think that I'm just getting to know you guys better."

Cornelia smirked. _'You read his mind didn't you?_'

Taranee smirked back._ 'I couldn't resist_.'

Cornelia shook her head and walked over to the food to get some punch, Neji went with her, eager to get away from Lee.

"So you don't like parties I take it?" Cornelia asked.

"Not in the least," Neji responded.

Cornelia adjusted her red dress and twirled her ponytail. "I will never understand why some people don't like parties," She said taking a drink of punch.

"Uh, Neji, Cornelia," Taranee said.

"What?" Neji asked, as they both looked at their friends.

Lee had a huge grin on his face. "THIS IS SO YOTHFUL!" He cried.

"What is?" Cornelia asked.

Kiba, Hinata, and Elyon came over to them. "Guys what's going-" Elyon trailed off when she saw what was making Lee so happy. Kiba burst out laughing, Hinata's eyes widened, and Elyon just stared at them.

"Will someone please tell us what you guys are talking about?" Cornelia asked, irritated.

In answer, Taranee, Elyon, and Hinata silently pointed upward and Neji and Cornelia froze. It didn't take a genius to know that there was only one thing on Chirstmas that made people do what Neji and Cornelia's friends were doing now. The two looked up and their suspicions were, unfortunately, confirmed. Mistletoe.

Cornelia turned bright red and Neji glared at the small plant.

Kiba was still laughing and Lee was still shouting that Neji and Cornleia being caught under the mistletoe was so youthful and this caught everyone's attention. When Irma, Will, Hay Lin, and Naruto saw what was happening, they busted up laughing.

"Way to go Corny!" Irma cried between giggles giving her friend the thumbs up.

"Come on Cornelia you guys have to kiss," Hay Lin said in a sing-song voice.

Cornelia and Neji looked at each other and he, wanting to get out the situation as quickly as possible, bent his head down and kissed Cornelia on the mouth. They immediately separated after three seconds and Neji walked away from his laughing, wolf calling friends.

Cornelia's face was a dark red as she went over to Elyon. Kiba laughed again. "Wow Hinata never even blushed that red before!"

"K-kiba!" Hinata cried in embarrassment turning a delicate shade of pink.

Cornelia didn't reply. Instead she touched her lips which were tingling lightly from Neji kissing her. 'Holy crap!' She thought.

Neji went outside cursing Lee for dragging him to the party. He hadn't planned on anything like that happening. He didn't know why, but he had felt a small electric shock when his mouth had connected with Cornelia's. Neji quickly brushed that thought aside and headed back to the Hyuga compound. He let out a frustrated sigh as he remembered that Hinata had been a witness and that she would most likely tell Hanabi and then everyone in the Hyuga clan would know about this.

"Lee, I'm going to kill you!" Neji muttered darkly.

* * *

Hay Lin and Naruto were still snickering after Neji left. "Oh man Irma is never going to let C live this down," Hay Lin said. Then she remembered that she had something for Naruto in her pocket.

"Oh Naruto I uh drew something for you yesterday, I hope you like it," She said handing the drawing too Naruto.

Naruto looked at it and his eyes widened. It was a picture of him wearing a long black cloak with orange flames at the bottom and above him was the Hokage mountain with a craving of his face on the end.

"Hay Lin this…" Naruto trailed off at a loss for words.

Hay Lin smiled softly. "I drew it because I have a feeling that you will be the best Hokage ever."

Naruto looked at Hay Lin and placed a hand on her cheek. "Thank you Hay Lin."

Hay Lin blushed at Naruto's touch. "It was nothing I mean it is Christmas and I just wanted to-"

Hay Lin was cut off when she felt something soft on her lips. With a shock she realized that Naruto was kissing her.

'Oh…my…gosh!' Hay Lin thought.

As Naruto kissed her, Hay Lin closed her eyes and kissed him back. Naruto wrapped his arms around her slim waist and Hay Lin put her arms around his neck.

Their friends were still laughing and talking about Neji and Cornelia's kiss when they saw Naruto and Hay Lin.

"Oh yes!" Irma and Elyon cheered pumping their fists. Will and Sasuke smiled at their friends.

"There is so much youth tonight!" Lee cried.

"Well what do you know," Shikamaru muttered.

"Alright! Way to go Naruto!" Kiba cried.

When she heard Kiba's voice, Hay Lin's eyes snapped open as she realized what she was doing. She immediately backed away from Naruto as Eric's face appeared in her head.

"What is it?" Naruto asked concerned.

"I…I…" Hay Lin stuttered. Confused, scared, and not knowing what to say, the air guardian turned and ran out, leaving a shocked Naruto.

The others were just as shocked with Hay Lin's weird behavior.

"Come on!" Irma and Elyon cried slapping their foreheads.

"That is so un-youthful!" Lee cried.

"That was a burn," Shikamaru mumbled.

"You said it," Kiba agreed.

Will ran out after Hay Lin and found her curled up on a bench her arms wrapped around her knees and her head on top of her arms.

"Are you okay?" Will asked.

Hay Lin shook her head and Willl saw that tears were in her eyes. "No I'm not oaky. I just kissed Naruto Will! Eric is still my boyfriend and I feel like I just betrayed him!"

Will sat down next to her friend and hugged Hay Lin. "It'll be okay. You like being around Naruto right?"

"Yeah," Hay Lin answered.

"Does he make you happy?"

"Yes."

Will smiled. "Then maybe you should give him a chance and see how things work out."

Hay Lin sighed. "You may be right, but I'm still confused."

* * *

Back at the party Irma and Shikamaru were having a blast on their date. Most of the songs played were upbeat and Shikamaru loved watching Irma dance.

"Come one Shikamaru. Dance with me," Irma said.

"I'm not much of a dancer," Shikamaru replied. "I can only slow dance."

Lo and behold a few seconds after the words left his mouth a slow song started to play. Irma smirked and grabbed Shikamau.

"Come on, let's dance," She said with a smile.

It turned out that the song was 'All I Want for Christmas is You.' Irma and Shikamaru blushed as they started to dance. Shikamaru placed his hands on Irma's waist and she put her hands on his shoulders. The danced slowly to the music and Irma smiled and leaned her head against Shikamaru's chest.

Shikamaru smiled and when he looked up he saw Ino and Chouji giving him the victory signal. He gently placed his head on top of Irma and stroked her hair. "You know you aren't as much of a pain as I thought you were," He told Irma.

He could tell Irma was grinning. "I'm still a troublesome woman though right?"

"A little bit yeah," Shikamaru admitted.

Irma brought her head up and smiled at Shikamaru her blues eyes shining. That reminded him. "I have something for you," He said.

Shikamaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a sterling silver chain with a small heart shaped blue stone on the end.

"I saw this and thought that it matched your eyes. II figured you might like it," He said.

Irma smiled and took the necklace. "It's beautiful Shika. Do you want to help me put it on?"

Shikamaru took the necklace and put it around Irma's neck. As he let go of the necklace he put his hand on Irma's shoulder. With his other hand he hooked a finger under Irma's chin and brought her head up.

"Merry Christmas Irma," He said.

Then he bent down and kissed Irma. Irma kissed him back. They weren't aware that Chouji was filming them on a camera and Ino was doing a victory dance.

When they separated Irma grinned and hugged him. 'This is the best Christmas ever!' She thought.

* * *

In the Hokage tower, Shizune knocked on Tsunade's door.

"Come in Shizune," The older woman said.

As Shizune walked in she saw that Tsunade was facing the window. "I wonder how the girls are doing?"

"They've been working very hard. Kakashi, Gai, and Kurenai have been watching them train every now and then and all their reports have been positive."

Tsunade faced back to her desk. "They're fitting in well I see."

Shizune stared at Tsunade evenly. "Lady Tsunade, you need to tell them."

Tsunade sighed. "I know Shizune. I just want them to feel at home in the village."

"But they have a right to know, especially Hay Lin," Shizune said.

"I'll do it when I see that they are ready to hear it," Tsunade replied.

"They're going to get suspicious you know," Shizune said. "Won't it seem just a little weird when they figure out how much you know about their powers."

"I know they'll get suspicious, but I will decided when to tell them. It is a personal thing for me after all," Tsunade said.

Shizune nodded. "Alright Lady Tsunade."

"Oh Shizune," Tsunade said.

"Yes?"

"Don't even think about dropping clues to them. I want them to hear it all from me," Tsunade instructed.

Shizune nodded. "Alright Lady Tsunade."

After Shizune left Tsunade sighed. Then she opened a drawer and took out a faded picture. She smiled sadly. 'You would be proud of Hay Lin my friend. I wish you were here,' She thought.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Naruto sighed as he lay on his bed two hours after the Christmas party had ended. All he could think about was Hay Lin and their kiss.

'Why did she run away?' He thought. Kissing Hay Lin had felt like heaven on earth to him. Besides she had kissed him back and he had thought that his feelings were returned. Now Naruto had no clue if Hay Lin liked him or not.

'I am such an idiot! Now not only did I probably lose any chance of a relationship between us, but I probably screwed up our friendship!' He thought, slamming a pillow on his face. 'I have no luck in relationships!'

Naruto removed the pillow and saw the picture Hay Lin had given him. When he looked at the drawing of the Hokage monument Naruto knew exactly where he should go to think.

* * *

_Cornelia smiled as she walked around a large cherry blossom field. The soft petals gently landed on her hair giving her a cherry smell. She sighed happily as she ran a hand threw her hair. Cornelia's grin got even wider when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist from behind._

_"Hello Cornelia," Her lover greeted._

_The blonde grinned and turned around in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up at him. "So what are we going to do today?"_

_Her boyfriend smirked. "Well we could start off with this." Neji smiled as he bent his head down to kiss her._

Cornelia's eyes flew open and she shot up bolt right in her bed. "What was that?" She panted. The blonde had been having a good night's sleep until that point.

Will snored lightly in her sleep and rolled over. "Corny it's the middle of the night. Bad dream or something?"

Cornelia shook her head. "It's nothing Will, just go back to bed."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Will said, rolling back onto her other side.

Cornelia put a hand to her forehead and collapsed back into the bed. She couldn't believe that she had been dreaming of Neji. As if their embarrassing kiss at the party wasn't enough. Cornelia wasn't sure it even qualified as a kiss.

'Ugh this is so stupid!' She thought. 'Okay it's official. I am seriously going to kill Lee at training tomorrow!' Cornelia rolled over to try and fall asleep, but she knew she wasn't going to get any sleep at all after that. 'Merry Christmas Cornelia Hale,' she thought bitterly to herself.

* * *

Naruto found himself feeling a little better once he was perched on the craving of his father. "I wish you were here dad. You and mom could have helped me out with Hay Lin," He said. Naruto looked over at the craving of Sarutobi and smiled sadly.

"What should I do about this?" He asked the craving with a sigh. Naruto knew in his gut that Hay Lin was special and that he wanted to be with her, but he wasn't sure if she felt the same way about him.

"I mean first she kisses me back when I kiss her and then she's all like get off my sidewalk. Ugh, love is hard, believe it!" Naruto said, putting a hand to his forehead.

* * *

Hay Lin couldn't sleep at all. Thoughts of Eric and Naruto were running through her head. "What am I going to do?" She sighed. "I need some air."

Hay Lin got up as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake up Taranee, changed out of her pajamas and silently walked out the door.

"Well this is a little better," Hay Lin said with a small grin as a breeze picked up her black hair, which she had let out of the two pigtails she always sported.

Hay Lin walked around the village as snow fell softly on her skin. 'I guess I could try to make a relationship work with Naruto. I mean Eric moved away from Heatherfield, so it's not like we're as close as we were before. Even if I did decide to date Naruto, he probably just thinks I'm crazy,' Hay Lin thought with a sigh. 'Besides why get attached to someone you know you probably won't see ever again after a few weeks?'

Pretty soon Hay Lin had reached the bottom of the Hokage tower. As she walked up the stairs she heard a familiar voice.

"Ugh, love stinks believe it!"

"Naruto?" She whispered looking around. Hay Lin didn't see him anywhere though.

"I wish I knew what to do about this," Naruto's voice said again.

Hay Lin looked up and saw him sitting on the cravings. She quickly ducked out of the way so he wouldn't see her. The air guardian listened as he kept on talking.

"You would have liked Hay Lin, dad. She's sweet, funny, and beautiful," Naruto said. Hay Lin blushed as she kept listening.

"I really like her and I want to be with her, but she's hard to read. I don't know if it's something about me that made her run off, or if it has something to do with her life," Naruto said. "Even though I don't know what's going on right now, I do know that I want to be with Hay Lin. She's just so amazing believe it."

Hay Lin smiled widely. "Wow," she whispered. "He really does care for me." Feeling lightheaded Hay Lin didn't realize that she was slowly floating up off the ground. 'Okay Naruto is the one I want to be with now, not Eric,' she thought. That's when she looked down and saw that she was no longer on the ground. With a small intake of breath Hay Lin landed ungracefully on her backside with a thud.

"Who's there?" Naruto called, looking down.

Hay Lin panicked. 'Oh man I can't face him right now,' she thought. Acting on impulse, Hay Lin quickly turned invisible before Naruto could see her.

When Naruto didn't see anybody he shrugged and lay back down. Hay Lin sighed in relief and quickly took off. 'I'll talk with him tomorrow,' she thought.

Naruto gazed up the stars for a while before standing up and jumping of the craving of his father. He landed on his feet lightly and walked back to his apartment making a decision. 'I'm going to talk with Hay Lin tomorrow and sort everything out.'

* * *

Hours later at 8 in the morning, Irma woke up and stretched a huge grin on her face. She had gone to bed feeling so good after her night with Shikamaru and since Temari had left and the lazy cloud watcher had no missions, Irma would have him to herself the whole day.

The water queen quickly hopped out of bed and changed into her ordinary clothes, putting on the necklace Shikamaru had given her last night. As she was walking out, Irma heard Elyon yawn.

"Where are you going?" the queen asked.

Irma smirked. "I'm going to spend the day with Shikamaru."

"Of course," Irma heard Elyon mutter under her breath.

"You're just jealous because you don't have a boyfriend," Irma replied without thinking.

Elyon raised an eyebrow. "He asked you to be his girlfriend"

Irma blushed. "Well no, but I'm hoping he will."

Elyon rolled her eyes. "He's probably not even awake yet."

"He will be soon enough," Irma said with a smirk, walking out the door.

As she made her way to Shikamaru's house, Irma shivered lightly and pulled her coat tighter around her. 'Man does it always get so cold here?' Irma thought. When she reached Shikamaru's house, she noticed that the window to his bedroom was open. The guardian strained her ear and listened. Sure enough Irma heard Shikamaru's snoring loud and clear.

The water guardian grinned wickedly as she bent down and made a perfectly round snowball. "This is going to be awesome," She chuckled. Then with the best aim she had, Irma chucked it straight through the open window and snickered when she heard the satisfying thud and the yelp that Shikamaru gave when the cold wetness came in contact with his body.

Shikamaru jumped out of bed ready for an attack, but then he realized that he had been hit by a snowball. "Naruto," he mumbled. He walked to his window, expecting to see the loud mouth blonde. Instead he got a face full of snow.

"Morning Shika," Irma called in between her giggles.

Shikamaru brushed the snow off his face and stared in disbelief at Irma. "What was that for?"

Irma grinned. "Well I wasn't about to come into that pig pen of a room to get you."

"So you felt the need to chuck a snowball at me?"

"Whatever works," Irma laughed. "Get dressed and come down. We have the whole day to spend together."

Shikamaru immediately brightened up and gave Irma the smile that always made her heart beat a little faster. "I'll be right down," Shikamaru called down to her. "Come wait inside. Mom wants to see you."

Irma smiled as she walked in through the door. "Yoshino? Shikaku?"

"Irma, is that you dear?" Yoshino asked as she walked in.

"Morning," Irma greeted.

"How did last night go?" Yoshino asked immediately. "I didn't get much out of Shikamaru, but he looked very happy when he came home."

Irma grinned. "All I can say is that your son is one heck of a dancer."

"You got him to dance?" Shikaku asked as he poked his head out from behind the kitchen door. "You must be something special if he danced with you willingly."

"Ha ha, very funny dad," Shikamaru said as he came down the stairs.

"Well that was fast," Irma said. "I woke you up about a minute ago and you're all ready to go."

Shikuku started laughing and Yoshino smirked. "I think this is the fastest you've ever moved in your life Shikamaru."

Irma chuckled and Shikamaru scowled at his parents. "Come on Irma let's go," he said, desperate to get away from his laughing parents.

"Okay lazy," Irma said with a slight laugh as she and Shikamaru walked out the door.

"So what are our plans for the day?" Shikamaru asked as he and Irma strolled through the village.

Irma smirked. "Well is this a good way to start the day?" With that she reached up and pecked Shikamaru on the lips.

Shikamaru smiled. "That's a better way to go than getting hit in the face with a snowball."

As soon as the words left his mouth another snowball hit the side of his head. Irma busted up laughing and a ticked off Shikamaru turned and saw Ino and Chouji standing a few feet away. Chouji was pointing at Ino to indicate that she had thrown the snowball.

Irma was still giggling when the two walked over to them.

"What's so funny Irma?" Chouji asked.

"Just the fact that Shikamaru's been hit three times with a snowball in the space of half an hour," Irma said between her giggles.

Shikamaru gave up on glaring seeing that it wouldn't do any good. "You guys are such a pain," he sighed.

Irma smirked and put her arms around Shikamaru's neck. "Yet you still put up with us," she said with a grin.

"So what are we going to do today guys?" Ino asked.

Irma and Shikamaru both looked at each other and then back at Ino. "Actually Ino, Shika and I were planning on having the day to ourselves," Irma said.

"Oh?" Ino asked, though she didn't sound surprised at all. Irma narrowed her eyes at Ino. She could practically see the wheels in her friend's head turning.

"Well I guess Ino and I can always find something else to do," Chouji said as he ate another potato chip. Irma grinned at the food loving shinobi. He was always so friendly and easy to get along with.

Shikamaru wrapped an arm around Irma's waist. "We'll be going now."

"Have fun," Ino said with a slight smirk.

Irma turned her head back to the blonde. "Don't even think about spying on us Ino," she said. Irma had the satisfaction of watching Ino playfully frown in disappointment at having her plans discovered.

As Irma and Shikamaru walked around they couldn't come up with anything to say. Irma was racking her brain desperately and Shikamaru was nervous about what he wanted to ask her.

"So have you been enjoying your stay in the village so far?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah it's been great. Everyone is so nice. I do miss my family though," Irma said, a sad look coming across her face.

"Could you tell me a little about your family?" the cloud watcher asked, hoping to get her happy again.

Irma grinned. "Well there's my mom Anna and my dad Tom. He a policeman."

"A what?" Shikamaru asked.

Irma cringed seeing her little mistake. "Uh a policeman, where I come from, is sort of a type of ANBU. He helps to make sure that everyone is safe and nothing goes wrong."

Shikamaru nodded. "Any brothers or sisters?"

"I have a little brother, Chris. He's so troublesome!" Irma groaned. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. She turned to glare playfully at Shikamaru. "Thanks a lot now you've got me saying it."

Shikamaru smirked. "Sorry," he said, although he certainly didn't sound sorry. Then, to Irma's surprise he stopped smirking and looked her right in the eyes.

"Can I ask you something Irma?"

"You just did," Irma laughed.

"You know what I mean, troublesome woman," the genius replied.

"Sure ask away," Irma said.

"What would you say if I asked you to be my girlfriend?"

For once in her life Irma was speechless. For about five seconds that is. With a huge grin she threw her arms around her new boyfriend's neck and kissed him lightly.

"You can take that as 'I would love to be girlfriend,'" Irma smiled.

Shikamaru grinned widely and kissed Irma's forehead. "You're troublesome, but I can live with it."

"You better," Irma smirked.

* * *

Cornelia and Taranee were on their way to meet Lee, when Taranee noticed that Cornelia had a slight intent-to-kill look on her face.

"What's up with you?" the dark skinned girl asked her friend.

"I really hope you don't mind finding another partner because Lee is going to die today," Cornelia asked.

"Why?" Taranee asked.

"Because he's the one that dragged Neji to the party last night," Cornelia said.

"Oh," Taranee said in understanding. Then she smirked. "By the way what was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"The kiss with Neji," Taranee grinned. "How was it?"

"Taranee!" Cornelia cried stopping dead in her tracks and looking at her friend in disbelief.

"I'm just curious," Taranee laughed.

"Well I don't think much of it and I would prefer to forget that it ever happened. Besides you know that I'm with Caleb," Cornelia snapped, trying hard not to remember her dream.

"Okay, okay, I was just teasing you," Taranee said holding her hands in front of her. "No need to snap at me."

"Sorry, but this is something that I really don't want to deal with. Neji and I just started getting along and that kiss is going to make things really awkward between us," Cornelia said with a sigh.

"I get it. Besides I think Neji is planning on killing Lee too," Taranee said with a grin.

Cornelia gave her an amused look. "You really need to stop reading everyone's mind."

Taranee laughed. "I can't help it. There's so much to learn from these guys. Just think of how we can apply what we learn here to our powers. It's amazing. Not to mention all the different people and villages."

Cornelia shook her head and laughed as the girls reached the training ground. They saw Lee and Gai were already there training. Cornelia was about to go up to Lee and beat him senseless when Neji walked up.

"Hello Cornelia, Taranee," the Hyuga greeted.

"Hi Neji," Cornelia mumbled avoiding meeting his eyes.

Gai noticed them and smiled. "Cornelia, Neji! I'm pleased to hear about what happened last night between you. I'm so proud that the two of you decided to unleash your youth!"

Cornelia's eyes widened and color flooded her cheeks and Neji glared at Lee who grinned and gave them his nice guy pose. Taranee shook her head knowing that this wasn't going to improve Lee's chances of living through training.

'It's going to be a _loooong_ day,' she thought as Gai began ranting about youth to Cornelia and Neji. 'I really hope everyone else is having a better time than the five of us.'

**END OF CHAPTER**


	12. Chapter 12

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Okay everyone I have a special announcement. Today is my 15th birthday as well as my two year anniversary on Fanfiction. I figured I would post this chapter to celebrate.**

**Chapter 12**

Will tapped her foot impatiently as she and Sasuke waited for Naruto and Hay Lin to show up.

"It's been 20 minutes and they're still not here," Will said through her teeth.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Patience is a virtue Will," he sighed.

Will gave him a look. "Shut up."

"Whatever," Sasuke said. "Maybe we should just start without them."

"Why do you say that?" Will asked.

"It may get really awkward once Hay Lin and Naruto are just a few feet away from each other considering what happened last night," Sasuke explained.

"Oh right. You do have a point there," Will said.

Sasuke smirked and before Will could blink he pulled out a kunai and ran at her. The redhead immediately jumped to the side and pulled out her own kunai. For a few minutes their training went as it normally did with them attacking and dodging, until Will slipped and fell onto Sasuke knocking him down. They landed on the ground with Will on top of Sasuke.

They looked at each other and Will blushed at their current position. Her blush deepened when she realized that Sasuke was actually really cute. 'Wow,' she thought.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the redhead. 'Will's kinda cute when she's blushing,' he thought with a slight smirk.

Will shook her head. "Sorry about that."

Sasuke shrugged. "You're just lucky I caught you."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Uh you didn't catch me. I knocked you down."

"Are you correcting me?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes I am," Will replied.

"That would be a mistake," Sasuke said with a smirk.

Before Will could ask what he meant, Sasuke had flipped them around so that she was on her back and he was pinning her wrists to the ground. Will's cheeks flushed a lot redder than before and Sasuke smirked widely.

**"WHAT THE HECK?!?!"**

Will and Sasuke's heads snapped up to see Naruto. He was staring at them in shock and his jaw had dropped. That's when the two realized what Naruto must be seeing. A smirking Sasuke straddling a furiously blushing Will. Both of the immediately shot up off the ground and looked anywhere, but at each other.

Naruto was still staring at them. "Would either of you mind telling me what the heck just happened?"

"Nothing Naruto. We were training, I tripped and knocked Sasuke down, landing on top of him. Sasuke got all cocky and I had to correct him so he flipped me over to prove a stupid point. Then you showed up about 5 seconds afterwards," Will said.

"O…kay," Naruto said slowly.

That's when Hay Lin ran up to them. "Sorry I'm late guys. I slept in and…" She trailed off when she saw Naruto standing there. Both of them looked away from each other and started fidgeting.

Will looked back and forth between her two friends and leaned a little closer to Sasuke. "Awkward," she whispered.

Sasuke nodded. "What do you suggest we do about it?"

Before Will could answer a puff of smoke appeared near the four teens and they saw Kakashi reading his book. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but Lady Hokage wants to speak with Will and Hay Lin."

Will nodded. "Alright Kakashi we'll be there. Thank you."

Kakashi nodded and with another puff of smoke he was gone.

"Come one Hay Lin let's go and find out what Tsunade wants to tell us," Will said.

Hay Lin looked at Naruto and tried to give him a smile but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll see you later I guess," Hay Lin said walking away with Will.

Naruto sighed as he watched Hay Lin leave. Then he felt Sasuke's fist connect hard with his head.

"OW!! What the heck was that for?!" The blonde shouted.

Sasuke shook his head. "You're such a loser."

* * *

At the team Gai training grounds Taranee watched as Cornelia and Neji mercilessly attacked Lee. The green beast, of course, thought that they were just being more vigorous in their training than usual, not having any clue about Cornelia and Neji's plans to kill him.

Taranee shook her head as she watched her three friends. 'I don't know what the heck Lee is thinking, but if he keeps this up than Cornelia and Neji might literally kill him.'

With a sigh she decided to intervene before Lee really got hurt. "Okay guys break it up."

"Taranee," Cornelia said with a whining tone. Neji didn't look to pleased that Taranee had stopped them either.

Taranee just smirked. "Why don't you guys go ahead and keep training I want to train with Lee alone for a minute."

Neji and Cornelia looked at each other sighed and walked a little ways away while Taranee looked Lee over to make sure Cornelia and Neji hadn't done any damage.

"You have a few really big bruises you know that?" Taranee asked.

Lee nodded and smiled widely. "Maybe I can get Sakura to heal them for me?"

"Sakura?" Taranee asked. Then she remembered. "Oh yeah. She's the medical ninja with the pink hair."

"She has superior medical skills and her beauty is breathtaking!" Lee cried.

"I see you got a thing for her," Taranee said with smirk. "Have you asked her out?"

Lee sighed. "Numerous times. I do not know how to show her I am worthy of her!"

'He must really have it bad for her,' Taranee thought.

Suddenly Lee's eyes widened and he looked at Taranee. "Could you help me win Sakura?" He asked.

"You want my help?" The fire guardian asked.

Lee nodded excitedly. "Yes! This way I can find out I can do to prove to Sakura how much I care!"

"Uh okay," Taranee said after a few seconds.

"YES!! Oh happy day! Thank you Taranee!" Lee cried giving Taranee a bone crushing hug.

Cornelia shook her head watching the scene in front of her. "I honestly don't know how you put up with him Neji," She said.

"Years of experience and a large amount of patience," Neji responded.

"Do you still want to kill him?" Cornelia asked.

"I don't think we'll be able to do any damage to him as long as Taranee's around," Neji said.

"Besides she'd kill us if we did," Cornelia added.

A few moments of silence passed between the two before Cornelia cleared her throat. "Um look about last night, that whole mistletoe thing, let's just forget that ever happened alright."

"Agreed," Neji said immediately. "This won't make things awkward will it?"

"Not at all," Cornelia said. 'Not as much as Hay Lin and Naruto's relationship anyway,' She added in her head. But as the blonde looked at Neji out of the corner of her eye she felt a small twinge in the middle of her stomach and her mind drifted back to her dream. She shook her head slightly.

'What am I thinking?' Cornelia thought with a barely audible sigh as she picked up a kunai and ran towards a target.

* * *

Will noticed that Hay Lin was being unusually quiet as they reached Tsunade door.

"Something wrong Hay Lin?" She asked.

The air guardian sighed. "I've been thinking about what to do about Naruto."

"And?" Will asked.

"I've decided that I want to be with him, not Eric," Hay Lin said.

Will smiled. "That's great Hay Lin!"

"I just don't know how I'm going to talk to him though."

"Well give it time and I'm sure everything will work out," The keeper said to her friend.

Hay Lin smiled at Will. "Thanks."

Will smiled back and knocked on Tsunade's door.

"Come in," they heard the Hokage call.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork and smiled slightly when she saw Will and Hay Lin.

"Hello girls," she greeted.

"Good morning Tsunade," Will greeted as she and Hay Lin bowed their heads.

"What is it you wanted to talk with us about?" Hay Lin asked.

Tsunade folded her arms. "From what I've heard the two of you have been training hard and advanced faster than we thought you would. I assume it must be due to the fact that you're guardians. Anyway I think it's time for your first mission."

Will and Hay Lin's eyes widened. "Seriously?!" They both cried.

Tsunade smiled and nodded. "It's not a big mission though. You two will be escorting a merchant from the land of Tea to the Sand Village. The journey will take about three days and the merchant will be at the gates tomorrow morning."

"Why do we need to escort him?" Will asked.

"The merchant is well known for having very rare and exceedingly valuable items and they are many bandits and ninja from other lands that know his usual route from the Leaf to the Sand," Tsunade explained.

"So we have to keep this merchant and his valuables safe?" Hay Lin asked.

"That's right."

"Oh this is so cool! We can finally go on missions!" Will said pumping her fists.

Tsunade laughed at the redhead's enthusiasm. "Alright that's all. You two may go."

Will and Hay Lin nodded and left the room.

"Alright our first mission!" Hay Lin cried jumping up and down excitedly. Then she stopped and the grin faded from her face.

"What?" Will asked.

"Uh there's a slight problem with this Will," Hay Lin said.

"And what might that be?"

"We don't even know where the Sand Village is or how to get there," Hay Lin said.

Will shrugged. "The merchant will most likely know where to go and since they don't have cars here I'm pretty sure we'll be walking the whole way."

The re head walked ahead of the air guardian and after a few seconds Hay Lin's eyes widened. "For three whole days?!" She cried.

The only response she got was Will bursting into giggles.

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Yeah I know it's kind of a lame update, but that's what I came up with. Next chapter will be better though. You know why? I certain someone of the desert that we all know and love will be introduced.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The next morning Cornelia woke up to Will packing for her mission.

"What are you doing up? It six in the morning Will," Cornelia said.

Will smiled. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but Hay Lin and I have a mission."

"Say what?" Cornelia asked waking up completely.

Will nodded. "It isn't a big mission, we just have to escort this merchant to the sand village."

"How come you guys are the first ones to get a mission?" Her friend asked.

Will shrugged. "I don't know. If I had a choice I would have the rest of you guys come with us."

"Okay well see you later then," Cornelia said.

"Yep. It takes three days to get there and three to get back so I'm guessing six days at the most," The keeper said.

"While you're there, pay attention to the sand village. I'm sure Taranee would love to hear about it"

Will laughed. "I will. Bye."

When she walked out of her apartment Will turned around and saw Sasuke and Naruto standing there.

"Hey guys. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We came to get you for training," Sasuke said. Then he raised an eyebrow. "What's with the bag?"

Before Will could answer, Hay Lin came out. "Oh hey Sasuke, hi Naruto," the air guardian said giving Naruto a small smile.

Naruot gave her a small smile back. "So why do you guys have bags?"

"Tsunade didn't tell you?" Hay Lin asked.

"Tell us what?" Sasuke asked.

"Hay Lin and I have a mission," Will replied.

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.

"What kind of mission?" Naruto asked.

"It's an escort mission," Will said.

"It shouldn't be too hard," Hay Lin said.

Naruto and Sasuke cringed and shared a look, both remembering what a disaster their first escort mission was.

"Maybe we should go with you," Sasuke said, not wanting either girl to get hurt.

"Are you saying that we can't handle this?" Will asked, though she had a playful smile on her face.

"No, but the first escort mission Sasuke and I went on we were almost killed," Naruto said.

Hay Lin paled a little and Will's confident smile faded slightly. "Uh maybe they should come with us Will," Hay Lin said.

"Well it will only be to the sand village, I think we can handle it," Will said.

Sasuke and Naruto were about to object again, but Will held up a hand, stopping them. "Look I know you guys want to come, but Hay Lin can take care of ourselves. You two aren't always going to be there for us. We'll be fine, I promise."

Sasuke finally nodded and Will smiled. Then to Naruto, Hay Lin, and Sasuke's surprise Will threw her arms around the Uchiha in a hug.

Hay Lin looked at Naruto, took a deep breath and took his hand. Naruto looked at their hands and then at Hay Lin.

"When I get back, I need to talk with you," Hay Lin said.

Naruto cringed. "Okay," He said.

Hay Lin smiled and pecked him on the cheek, to the blonde's astonishment.

'Hmm maybe I still have reason to hope,' Naruto thought.

"Good luck Will," Sasuke said.

"Thanks," Will said as she and Hay Lin walked away.

A few minutes later Will and Hay Lin were at the gate and they saw a middle aged man with a large wagon.

"That must be him," Hay Lin said.

The merchant looked up and when he saw the girls he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well I've never seen you two before," he said.

"We're new," Will said.

The man nodded, but looked at the girls skeptically. "Let's get going. I want to get the Sand as soon as possible."

For the next three days, everything went smoothly. The merchant was kind and entertained Will and Hay Lin with stories of his travels. The only trouble they had was when one teenage bandit had tried to attack them. He was not much of a fighter and Will knocked him out with one good punch. Now they were making their way towards the gates of the Sand.

"I wonder what the people like here," Hay Lin said.

Will shrugged. "I can't say Hay Lin. We'll have to bring some stuff back for the girls. Corny was kinda bummed that she couldn't come."

Hay Lin giggled. "Taranee was too. I told her I'd get some books for her."

The guards stopped them when they arrived and after a short questioning they let the three pass. When they walked into the village, Hay Lin and Will stared in amazement at the village.

"Whoa, this is so cool!" Will breathed, looking around.

"We're definitely not in the Leaf anymore," Hay Lin commented.

After seeing the merchant got to his usual spot for trading the two guardians decided to take a look around.

"This is so one of the coolest places I've ever been to," Hay Lin said.

"Even better then Meridian?" Will asked.

Hay Lin smiled sheepishly. "I hate to say it, but the Sand beats Meridian by a mile."

Will laughed as she rounded a corner. As she did she bumped into someone and dropped her bag. "Oh sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," the redhead apologized as she picked up her bag.

"Don't worry about it," The guy in front of her said.

Hay Lin cocked her head to the side when she saw the young man. "What's with the face paint?" **(Hint, hint readers)**

Will smacked her forehead. "Hay Lin, was that necessary?"

"What? It was a just a question," Hay Lin said.

Will sighed. "You'll have to excuse my friend. She sometimes doesn't think before she talks."

The man laughed. "No worries. My name is Kankuro by the way."

"Nice to meet you Kankuro," Hay Lin said. "My name is Hay Lin and this is my friend Will. We're ninja from the Leaf Village."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "Are you two here on a mission?"

"Yes we are actually," Will said.

"Why don't you two ladies come with me, I think my brother would like to meet you," Kankuro said.

Will raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to try to set one of us up with your brother are you?"

Kankuro laughed. "No. He's the Kazekage."

Will and Hay Lin nodded in understanding, both very thankful that Taranee had done some research on other villages or else they would have never known what the Kazekage was.

* * *

Back in the leaf, Taranee was currently trying to help Lee out with his Sakura problem. Elyon had decided to help her out, because the queen was sure this was going to be hilarious.

"So what have you said when you've asked Sakura out?"Taranee asked.

Lee smiled. "Only that I would do anything for her and that my love for her is absolutely eternal!"

Taranee's eyebrows went up and Elyon coughed to hide a laugh.

"Um what exactly did you say the first time you saw Sakura?" Elyon asked, looking very amused.

"When I first saw her beautiful face I went up to her and asked her to be my girlfriend, saying that I would protect her with my life!" Lee told them.

Elyon started snickering and Taranee pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That was probably not the first thing you wanted to say Lee," Taranee said.

"Well what do I say to her now?" Lee asked. He pulled out a notebook and sat in front of the two girls looking at them with rapt attention.

Taranee racked her brain for something. "Well for one thing, you could give her small compliments."

"My makeover offer still stands," Elyon muttered to Taranee under her breath. Taranee gave her a look and flicked the blonde of the forehead.

_'Are you only here for fun?'_ Taranee thought.

_'Pretty much,_' Elyon replied with a laugh.

Taranee shook her head. One thing was sure; helping Lee would be interesting if nothing else.

* * *

"Alright ladies, here we are," Kankuro said as he brought Will and Hay Lin to Gaara's door

"Are you sure we can see him?" Hay Lin asked.

Kankuro nodded. "Of course. He won't mind. Go on in."

"Thanks Kankuro," Will said with a wave.

Hay Lin knocked on the door and they heard a muffled voice say "Come in."

They opened the door and saw a red haired boy about their age sitting at the desk.

"What can I do for you?" Gaara asked.

"You're Lord Kazekage right?" Hay Lin asked.

Gaara nodded.

"Well we're from the Hidden Leaf Village and we're actually new so we don't know about, well, anything actually," Will said.

Gaara nodded. "And why are you here?"

"We just had an escort mission from the leaf village to here and then we meet your brother and he invited us here," the redhead said.

Gaara shook his head in slight irritation with Kankuro. Hay Lin noticed that his eye color looked very familiar from somewhere, but she didn't know where..

Will was feeling very awkward until Hay Lin spoke up. "So do you know Naruto Uzumaki?"

Gaara looked at the dark haired girl with sudden interest. "As a matter of fact I do. He's a good friend of mine."

Hay Lin smiled brightly. "That's great! He's a good friend of ours too."

Will smirked. "Oh I'd say he's more then to friend to you Hay Lin."

Hay Lin blushed. "Shut up!" She muttered to Will.

"You're dating that spiky haired dork?!" A very familiar voice cried outside the room.

"Kankuro shut up will you!" A female voice hissed.

Gaara sighed and flicked his wrist making sand go the door and turn the doorknob. The door opened to reveal Kankuro and Temari.

"Okay for the record we were not eavesdropping!" Kankuro cried. "Temari just asked me to come with her because she wanted to talk with you about something important and I heard Will say that stuff about Naruto."

Hay Lin turned to Gaara. "Is he always like this?"

Temari snorted, Gaara lips turned upward slightly and Kankuro glared at the air guardian.

"Kazekage do you mind if Hay Lin and I take a look around? We won't break anything, I promise," Will said.

Gaara nodded his permission and Will and Hay Lin smiled and took off.

"Hey Will, did something about those three seem familiar to you or something?" Hay Lin asked.

"What makes you say that?" Will asked.

Hay Lin shrugged. "I don't know, but Temari and Gaara's eye color looked almost exactly like Irma's eyes."

Will gave her look. "Hay Lin, Cornelia and Elyon have eyes that look like Irma's."

Hay Lin had a slight frown. "I know, but there's something about Gaara and his siblings."

Will rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's go see if Gaara has some cool stuff around here."

'If they have a library, do you think Gaara would let us take some books for Taranee to look at?" Hay Lin asked.

Will shrugged. "I have no idea."

As they passed through a room, Hay Lin saw a picture in a corner. It was a woman with brown hair and kind blue eyes and she was smiling. The air guardian's brow crinkled. "Will who do you think that woman is?"

Will looked at the picture for a minute before answering. "She looks a bit like Temari so I think it's her, Gaara, and Kankuro's mother."

Hay Lin stared at the picture. 'That woman looks like Irma,' she thought. She frowned slightly at the thought. Did her best friend have connections to this village that her, and the rest of the guardians, did not know about? Hay Lin didn't know. But one way or another, she was going to find out.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

As Will and Hay Lin explored Gaara's home, Hay Lin kept looking for clues to see if Irma was somehow connected to the sand village. As they walked around the air guardian found a door to a library.

"Guess you got your library wish," Will said.

"I think I'll take a look at the books, you go on without me," Hay Lin said.

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

Hay Lin nodded and walked into the library. The first thing she looked for was some kind of history book. Her search wasn't in vain and she ended up with three big books. She saw on the floor and began to leaf through the pages. Then she came to section titled 'The great war.'

"Wonder what this is about," Hay Lin said as she read. With a shock she found that the leaf and sand had once been great enemies. Then Hay Lin came to where it started talking about the tailed demons.

_**There were nine tailed beasts. The one tail, the two tail, and so on. The nine tailed fox demon was the most vicious. One night he attacked the Leaf Village causing mass destruction and loss. The 4th Hokage, acting quickly to save his village, took his newborn son, Naruto, and sealed the fox inside of him.**_

Hay Lin took in a sharp intake of breath. She re-read the last sentence again to make sure she wasn't mistaken. "No way," she muttered. Naruto had never told her that he had a demon sealed inside of him. Shaking the thought aside, the air guardian put that book down and began looking through another one. This one was more useful. It had family trees of important people from the sand. She soon found the page of Gaara's family tree. And right in between Kankuro and Gaara's names and pictures there was a space that had been blotched out by ink. Hay Lin stared at the spot, dazed. Gaara had another sibling.

"Hay Lin are you here?"

Hay Lin's head shot up when she heard Will's voice. She put the book down and got up to meet Will. "I'm right here."

"We need to leave and start heading back to the Leaf," Will said.

"Aw man are you serious?" Hay Lin asked.

Will laughed and nodded. "Come on let's hit the road."

"Fine," the air guardian said with a sulk. Then she paused. "I'm going to say thank you to Gaara for letting us look around."

"Okay I'll meet you outside" the keeper said.

Hay Lin quickly took off toward Gaara's office and knocked when she got there.

"Come in," Gaara called.

Hay Lin took a deep breath and opened the door.

"You're back I see. Do you need anything?" Gaara asked.

"Will and I are heading back the Leaf and I just wanted to thank you for letting us look around."

"You're welcome," Gaara said.

Hay Lin bit her lip nervously and then asked her question. "Do you have any other siblings aside from Temari and Kankuro?"

Gaara's eyes shot up to hers. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious," Hay Lin replied, hoping her voice sounded casual.

Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly before he answered. "Temari knows more about it then I do, but all I know is that I had another sister. She was born a year and a half before me."

"What happened to her?" Hay Lin asked.

"Temari told me that just before I was born, when the Shukaku attacked your village, my sister was taken from our home," Gaara explained.

"Why?"

"No one knows for certain," Gaara replied.

"Thank you for answering my question," Hay Lin said.

Gaara nodded. "I hope you arrive back to the leaf safely."

"Thank you Lord Kazekage," Hay Lin said bowing her head in respect, before she walked out.

"So what did you find in the library?" Will asked when Hay Lin came out.

"Well you know how I thought that Gaara and his siblings reminded me of Irma?" Hay Lin asked.

"Hay Lin please tell me you didn't go snooping around," Will groaned.

"I wouldn't call it snooping, more researching. Anyways I found out that Gaara has another sibling," Hay Lin told Will.

Will paused. "Are you serious?"

Hay Lin nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I even asked Gaara about it. He said that before he was born his sister was taken from the village and no one knew what happened to her."

"You think that Irma is the long lost sister of the Kazekage?" Will asked.

"It's possible," Hay Lin said.

"Did you find out anything else?"

"Not really," Hay Lin replied, not wanting to tell Will about Naruto and the Nine tailed Fox.

The two walked in silence until they were a good distance away from the village. Hay Lin noticed that Will kept looking around and that she was clutching the heart in her hand.

"What's wrong?" The air guardian asked, immediately going on alert.

"I have a feeling something going to happen. Just stay on guard," Will replied.

After about an hour of traveling, they stopped to rest for a few minutes. Suddenly a kunai shot out of nowhere and slashed Hay Lin's arm.

Will jumped up ready for a fight, so did Hay Lin, who was gripping her bleeding arm. A group of bandits had surrounded them.

"Well what have we got here?" One of them sneered eyeing Will and Hay Lin.

"Now what a two lovely young girls such as yourselves doing out here in the middle of a desert?" A bandit, apparently the leader, asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"We don't have anything for you. You have no reason to bother us," Will said.

"You're certainly a brave one aren't you?" the leader said looking Will up and down more carefully.

Another man laughed. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I like a girl with spirit."

"You better back off. You don't know who you're dealing with!" Hay Lin said, glaring at the leader.

"What do you think we should do with em boss?" A bandit asked.

"They don't have anything valuable from the looks of it," the third said.

"Then maybe you should leave," Will sneered.

The leader smirked and turned to the other bandits. "Well my friends, I think these girls are something special. They may not have anything for us to steal, but maybe they can provide us with some pleasure."

Will and Hay Lin paled when they realized what the leader was talking about. A bandit went to grab Will, but she sucker punched him in the jaw. Hay Lin jumped up and kicked a bandit in the gut.

As the leader went at Will, she pulled out a knife and slashed his face.

"You'll wish you hadn't done that you brat!" He cried.

Will and Hay Lin used what they learned from Naruto and Sasuke to try and fight of the bandits, but they were stronger.

"Will we need to go guardian!" Hay Lin cried.

The redhead grabbed the heart. "Guardians u-**AAAHH!!"**

Hay Lin whipped around as Will let out a scream. An arrow was sticking out of Will's thigh. When Hay Lin went to help her, a kunai made a deep gash in her side. The air guardian fell to the ground withering in pain.

Will punched a bandit near her, but her responded by punching her in the stomach. As Will crumbled in pain the leader grabbed her and hit her in the back of the head.

Will knew she would black out soon, so in a desperate attempt she let out a mental scream, praying her friend out hear it in the leaf.

* * *

Miles away Taranee, Neji, Cornelia, and Lee were at Ichiraku's eating ramen.

"So, when do you think Taranee and I will be able to go on a mission Neji?" Cornelia asked her partner.

"Hard to say," Neji replied. "You're training is going well though, so you probably won't have to wait much longer."

Taranee rolled her eyes at the two. It was so obvious that Cornelia was developing feelings for Neji, even if she didn't want to. Taranee could also see that Neji was becoming fond of the beautiful earth guardian as well.

_'TARANEE!!! WE NEED HELP!!'_

Taranee let a small yelp and literally fell off her seat when the telepathic scream rang inside her head.

"Taranee are you alright?" Lee asked, helping her up.

"I think so," Taranee replied. The fire guardian looked at Cornelia. _'That was Will.'_

_'Are you sure?_' Cornelia replied.

_'Positive. She and Hay Lin are in trouble,_' Taranee said.

Cornelia bolted out of her seat and turned to Neji. "We have to go. We'll so you guys later."

With that, Cornelia and Taranee took off, leaving their friends behind. The confused Lee looked at Neji questioningly. The Hyuga prodigy shrugged his shoulders.

Cornelia and Taranee ran as fast as they could toward the Hokage tower.

"What kind of trouble are they in?" Cornelia asked.

"I don't know, but it must have bad or else Will wouldn't have sent me the memo," Taranee said.

"Can you get back to her?"

"I'm trying, but she's not responding."

The two soon reached Tsunade's office and burst in. The blonde Hokage jumped up in alarm, but relaxed when she that it was only Taranee and Cornelia.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, seeing their panicked expressions.

"Will and Hay Lin are in trouble," Taranee said. "Will reached me telepathically and it sounded like they were in really hot water."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Shizune!" She shouted.

The dark haired woman came rushing in. "Yes milady?"

"Send someone to find Naruto and Sasuke and tell them to go and help Will and Hay Lin. They're in danger," Tsunade ordered.

Shizune nodded and rushed off.

"What can we do?" Cornelia asked.

"You two will stay in the village," Tsunade said.

"WHAT?!" Taranee and Cornelia cried.

"We can't risk you two getting hurt as well. Naruto and Sasuke can handle it," Tsunade said.

"Our friends are out there and you're telling us to do nothing?" Cornelia practically shrieked.

Tsunade stood up. "I'm trying to keep you safe. If you want to go back to your home then you will stay in the village! If you don't do as I say, I'll see to it that you two are banned from training for a month."

Taranee and Cornelia glanced at each other and slowly nodded their heads.

* * *

At the former team 7 training grounds Naruto was leaning against a tree and Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch.

"How do you think Will and Hay Lin are doing?" Naruto asked his friend.

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know." The Uchiha would never admit it, but he was worried about the girls. Will especially. He didn't know how it had happened, but he had a feeling he was starting to like Will a lot more then he should.

Suddenly Anko appeared in a puff of smoke. "Glad I found you two," she said.

"Why, is something wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Lady Tsunade sent me to tell you that your partners, Will and Hay Lin, are in danger near the Sand Village and that you two are to go and-"

Before Anko could even finish, Sasuke and Naruto ran off.

'I knew something was going to go wrong,' Naruto thought. 'If Hay Lin's hurt, I'll kill however caused her pain!'

'I should've gone with Will,' Sasuke thought. 'I could have protected them both.'

The two boys thought of nothing else, but helping Will and Hay Lin as they ran out of the village.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When Will woke up her head felt like it was going to explode any second and her body was the sorest it had ever been in her life.

"Have a nice nap?" a sinister voice asked.

Will looked up and saw the bandit leader from earlier standing over her smirking.

"Where am I?" Will demanded in a horse voice.

"You'll learn everything soon enough," the leader said. "While I'm here, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"You know what? You can crawl back into the foul, vile pit you came from," Will snapped.

The leader's smirk faded and the look on his face became one of rage. With a scowl he kicked Will, hard, in her side.

"Leave her alone!"

Will looked up and saw Hay Lin chained to the wall across from her.

The leader was by Hay Lin in a second and his hand made contact with her cheek with a resounding smack. Anger coursed through Will, when she saw blood trickle out of Hay Lin's mouth.

"What do you want from us?" Hay Lin spat.

"Information," the bandit sneered.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"Don't act dumb! I know you two are from the Hidden Leaf village. You two must be very knowledgeable about the Leaf's strategies. So you two are going to tell me them."

In response Will spat at his feet. "We don't know anything and if we did we wouldn't tell you anything you cretin!"

The bandit glared at her. "Oh I know you have to know something. Let me tell you girls something. Me and my men know how to torture and break a man. Getting information out of you two should be a piece of cake."

Hay Lin laughed humorlessly. "You're really as dumb as you look aren't you? We're not going to break no matter what you do!"

"Say it loud and proud!" Will cried.

At this point, the bandit's face was distorted with rage and he grabbed a metal pipe and banged Hay Lin in the side with it. Hay Lin tried to contain it, but she couldn't stop the scream of pain bursting out of her mouth. The leader turned on Will and the redhead closed her eyes trying to think of something else. To her shock the only thing she could think of was Sasuke. Will's body relaxed as she remembered the last training session she had with him, letting out a small laugh as she remembered Naruto's face when he had seen Sasuke on top of her. She barely felt the metal pipe as it made contact with her body.

* * *

Naruto's body ached after hours of running, but he refused to stop and rest. All he wanted was to get Hay Lin out of whatever trouble she was in.

"Naruto, we need to stop for a while!" Sasuke cried.

"Are you crazy?!" Naruto cried. "Hay Lin and Will are in danger and you want to stop?"

"We have to! If we don't we won't be in any condition to help them," Sasuke said.

Naruto inwardly cursed Sasuke's logic, but he knew the Uchiha had a point. "Fine, but only for a few minutes!"

"We should have gone with them," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto nodded. "They're just so stubborn."

Sasuke clenched his fist. "If Will's hurt I'll rip off the arms of whoever did it."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, momentarily distracted. "Since when do you care about what happens to a girl?"

Sasuke looked away. "Since now. Happy?"

"Hmm," Naruto hummed rubbing his chin. "If I didn't know any better Sasuke, I'd say you have feelings for Will."

Sasuke didn't answer and that only made Naruto smirk. He knew he had hit a nerve.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, a few minutes later. "We've rested enough."

Naruto nodded and the two took off once again.

* * *

**"WHAT?!??!"** Irma and Elyon shrieked, slamming their hands on the table.

"That's exactly what Taranee and I said," Cornelia said. She had just told Irma and Elyon about Will and Hay Lin being in trouble and them not being able to do anything about it.

"Is Tsunade out of her feaking mind?!" Irma shouted. "We're the guardians for crying out loud!"

"Tsunade apparently is only trying to protect us," Taranee said.

"We've been in tougher spots. Remember when I was stuck in the jewel for months?" Elyon asked.

"Or when we had to fight Cedric in that huge mega battle?" Irma pointed out.

"I know guys, but Tsunade said if we do anything, she'll ban us from training," Cornelia said.

Irma frowned. "Well that doesn't mean-" She stopped talking suddenly and very slowly a catlike grin made its way onto her face.

"Oh boy, that's your 'I'm up to something I probably shouldn't be' look," Elyon said.

"What are you thinking?" Cornelia asked.

"Corny, did Tsunade say that all of us would be banned from training if we did something?" Irma asked.

"No she just said Taranee and I would be," Cornelia answered.

"So I won't get in trouble if I do something?" Irma asked smiling mischievously.

That's when Taranee, Cornelia, and Elyon got it.

"Irma don't you even-" Taranee began.

"Too late!" Irma cried, running towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Elyon called.

"To get Shika!" Irma yelled back before slamming the door behind her.

It took Irma about five minutes to get to Shikamaru's house and she nearly broke down the door as she ran inside.

"Hey Yoshino, I need to kidnap Shikamaru for a while!" Irma cried running past her friend.

Yoshino and Shikaku looked each other.

"What the heck was that all about?" Shikaku asked.

"Shikamaru!" Irma cried yanking open her boyfriend's door.

After looking at Shikamaru her head dropped. The lazy genius was still fast asleep. With a huff she walked over, yanked the blanket off of him and tipped the mattress over, spilling Shikamaru onto the floor.

"What the heck Irma?!" He cried jolting awake.

"Hurry up and get dressed Shikamaru I need your help!" Irma told him.

"With what, troublesome?"

"Will and Hay Lin are in trouble and we need to go and help them," Irma said.

Shikamaru was silent for a few minutes. "Tsunade never asked you to go help them did she?"

Irma raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I think I would know by now if you were up to something."

"Whatever. So are you coming or what?" Irma asked.

Shikamaru frowned. "Irma I don't think that this is such a good idea."

Irma walked over to him and took his hands in hers. "Shikamaru, Will and Hay Lin are my best friends. I can't let them get hurt. Please I need your help."

Shikamaru sighed. "Just give me a minute to get dressed."

Irma smiled widely before throwing her arms around him and kissing him, saying, "Shikamaru I love you!" before leaving to let him get dressed.

Shikamaru turned red. 'Did she really just say that she loves me?' He thought.

A few minutes later, Shikamaru came down and explained the situation to his parents. He left out the fact that Tsunade had no idea what they were doing.

"So what do think happened to Will and Hay Lin?" Shikamaru asked as they ran out of the village.

"It must have been bad. Those two don't go down very easily," Irma said.

"How are we supposed to find them anyway?"

"Sasuke and Naruto will have probably already found them by the time we get there."

Shikamaru's head snapped toward his girlfriend. "Sasuke and Naruto were sent? So why the heck are we going?"

"Because Sasuke and Naruto could use the help and I need some action," Irma explained.

"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered.

Irma smacked him on the head. "Shut up!"

* * *

Two days later, Hay Lin leaned against the wall thoroughly exhausted. The bandits had tried everything on her and Will to make them break, but so far nothing had worked. The girls had been beaten with the metal pipe almost a hundred times and the bandits didn't give them any food or water and they hadn't let Will or Hay Lin have any sleep.

"Will I don't know how much more of this I can take," Hay Lin groaned.

"I know exactly how you feel," Will replied. "Hopefully Taranee got the message. If she did then they'll be here soon."

"I wish you had let Naruto and Sasuke come with us," Hay Lin whispered.

"What do you mean you wish I had let them come?" Will asked.

"They warned us about what could happen, but no. You just had to be so stubborn," Hay Lin snapped.

"It isn't my fault we're stuck in this situation and you know it," Will snapped back.

Hay Lin sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

Will nodded. "It's okay."

Hay Lin felt tears start to well up in her eyes. "I just Naruto with me."

Will looked sadly at Hay Lin. She wished she could comfort her friend, but the keeper had no idea if Taranee had even heard her. If she hadn't they would be stuck with the bandits even longer. Will didn't want to scare Hay Lin, but she had feeling that if the bandits realized they didn't know anything, they might kill the two girls.

Suddenly Hay Lin's head snapped towards the door to their dungeon.

"What is it?" Will whispered.

"Shhh. I can hear the leader and one of his men talking," Hay Lin whispered back. She listened intently for a few seconds before telling Will what was going on.

"The leader is getting very nervous about something. He says that if we don't break he'll be the one to pay the price," The air guardian whispered.

Will raised an eyebrow. "Looks like the so called leader is doing someone else's dirty work."

"That explains why he wanted information about the Leaf's strategies," Hay Lin whispered excitedly.

"What?" Will asked.

Hay Lin rolled her eyes. "Come on Will, think about it. A normal bandit would just take anything valuable and go. He wouldn't take two girls prisoner and try to get strategies out of them."

"He must be working for an enemy of the leaf," Will whispered.

"Exactly," Hay Lin whispered back. "And it sounds like if he doesn't get anything good out of us, his boss is going to get really angry."

**"BE QUIET IN THERE!!!"** The bandit leader bellowed as he exploded through the door. "I've had enough of you two brats!"

"Then why don't you let us go?" Will asked with a sneer.

The leader turned his glare on her. "I'm especially tired of your big mouth!" With that he walked over and slammed his foot onto her leg. Will bit back the scream that bubbled up inside of her. She wouldn't give this guy the satisfaction of seeing her in so much pain.

"You two have been more trouble than I ever thought possible," The leader hissed. I'll give the both of you two more hours. If you don't have anything to say by then, well let's just say you won't be around much longer," the bandit said with an evil grin, before walking out the door.

Will looked at Hay Lin and saw her already pale face had gone paper white with fear. The redhead wanted to say that everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't. Will hung her head sadly. 'I wish you were here Sasuke.'

* * *

Sasuke panted slightly as he and Naruto ran through the Suna desert. He wanted to get Will and Hay Lin out of trouble as soon as possible. He couldn't understand why Will had such an impact on him. For the past few days all he could think about Will. Sasuke smirked when he remembered how angry she had been the morning when he had her get up at four in the morning. The fire in her big brown eyes had been impossible to miss.

"Sasuke? Hello are you home?" Naruto asked waving a hand in front of his friend's face.

"What?" Sasuke asked shoving Naruto's hand away.

"Because I asked you a question and you were off somewhere else," Naruto said.

Sasuke scowled at him. "What was the question?"

"I said how are we going to find Will and Hay Lin?"

"I have no idea," Sasuke said. Then he saw something a few feet away. "Naruto over here," he said going towards the dark spot.

When he and Naruto reached it they saw two packs lying on the sand. "These are Will and Hay Lin's," Naruto said looking them over.

"From these marks it looked like there was a struggle between them and someone else," Sasuke said.

"They can't be too far away then," Naruto said. "Look here some footprints."

Sasuke examined them more closely. "There are also drag marks. Will and Hay Lin must have been dragged of somewhere."

"Well then let's go get them back!" Naruto cried, running along the trail of footprints.

"Naruto wait!" Sasuke cried, but Naruto was already way ahead of him. With a frustrated sigh Sasuke chased after him.

* * *

The bandit leader threw his drink on the floor with a yell. "Why won't those two girls talk already!?" He cried.

The other bandits looked at each other nervously.

"It isn't a big deal boss," One of them said.

The leader whipped around. "Not a big deal?! If I don't have any information on the leaf by tonight I'm done for! I need those girls to start talking."

"What are you going on about girls for?"

The leader jumped around and turned pale when he saw who it was.

"I hope you've been successful in what we have assigned you to do," the man asked.

The leader started shaking. "Well I have two captives, but they won't tell me what the leaf's plans are."

The man frowned. "That's very unfortunate for you. They are getting very impatient with you, you know."

The leader swallowed nervously. "I just need a few more days. If the girls I have as prisoners don't say anything, I plan on killing them and then finding some other way."

"We aren't giving you a few more days. You've had enough time. If you don't have what we want by tonight you'll be the one to die," The man said. Then he gave a big sinister smile, showing all this sharp teeth and patted the large sword on his back. "They will be here in a few hours so be prepared." With that the man disappeared.

The leader, even though he was very shaken up, turned to his men. "Alright that's it. All of you are coming with me to visit the girls."

"What's the point?" One bandit asked. "They won't tell us anything."

The leader said nothing, but he turned and picked up a dagger off the table. "It's time to get rid of those brats."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	16. Chapter 16

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Alright, I would like to dedicate this chapter to one of my best friends as a late birthday present. I hope she likes it!**

Chapter 16

The bandit leader stormed into Will and Hay Lin's dungeon. "Alright ladies time to talk!"

Will and Hay Lin looked up and both paled when they saw the knife in his hand.

"You're going to kill us aren't you?" Will asked.

The leader grinned. "Only if you don't tell me what the Leaf's strategies are."

"We've told you a hundred times, we don't know anything," Hay Lin said.

"Well then that's too bad," the leader sneered. Then he began to walk over to Will. Hay Lin closed her eyes and suddenly a strong gust of wind knocked the leader into the wall and Will gave her friend a grateful smile.

"How the heck did that happen?" one bandit asked.

"Never mind how it happened," the leader snarled. "One of you, hold the black haired one while I deal with the red head.

Will didn't show her fear as the leader reached her, but she was terrified of the gleaming knife.

"It's too bad you wouldn't talk. You would have…" he trailed off when he saw the chain around Will's neck. He reached down and pulled on the chain revealing the Heart of Candracar.

"What is this?" He asked Will.

Will glared at him and didn't say anything. The leader sneered at her. "Oh well." With that he held up the knife. Will squeezed her eyes shut as the knife started to descend.

**"CHIDORI!"**

Will's eyes snapped open just in time to see the leader knocked into the wall by a sphere of what looked like lightning.

**"RASEGAN!"**

Will looked over at Hay Lin and saw the bandit holding her get knocked down by a huge glowing sphere.

'What the…?' Will thought

Hay Lin looked up and a huge grin came onto her face. "Naruto!" She cried happily.

Will head shot towards the door and she saw Naruto and Sasuke fighting with the rest of the bandits. Will gave a low whistle when she saw Sasuke use his Chidori on a bandit. 'So that's the Chidori,' she thought. 'No wonder Sasuke wasn't sure about teaching it to me.'

Sasuke started to pant as he fought off the bandits. When he and Naruto had found the hideout he had known immediately that something was wrong. When he had seen the leader about to kill Will, he completely lost it. Know his only concern was making sure Will stayed safe. He knocked out a few more bandits and ran over to Will.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Bruised and hungry, but I'm alright," Will replied in a horse voice. Then she smiled. "This is the second time you've saved my life."

Sasuke smirked. "Don't worry, it won't be the last."

Will stared at him shocked and smiled at him. "Can you get me out of these chains?"

As Sasuke tried to break the locks Will noticed a bandit make her way over to them. Will started to panic knowing Sasuke wouldn't see him. Just when she was about to tell him, she saw a long heavy piece of wood by her foot. With all her might, Will slammed her heel onto the wood and the end flew up, hitting the bandit where it counts.

Sasuke whipped around when he heard the bandit grunt in pain. He smirked when he realized what Will had done.

"You are evil," he told the redhead, who smirked smugly.

"Sasuke hurry up and get Will and Hay Lin out of their chains!" Naruto cried. "I can't hold these guys off much longer."

Seconds after the words left his mouth, several of the bandits froze in their tracks and kunai flew at the rest.

Naruto, Will, Sasuke, and Hay Lin turned and saw Shikamaru and Irma, who was smirking, standing the doorway.

"Glad we showed up?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.

"You bet I am!" Naruto replied.

As Shikamaru helped Naruto, Irma ran over to Sasuke. "You fight, I'll get them out."

Sasuke nodded and joined the fight.

"Are the others here?" Will asked Irma.

"No just me and Shikamaru," Irma replied.

"Why?" Will asked.

Irma bit her lip. "Well, Tsunade doesn't exactly know Shikamaru and I are gone."

Will rolled her eyes. "Why does that not surprise me?"

Irma scowled before turning back to the chains. Using her powers she made water surround part of the chains, freezing it. Then she slammed her foot on the chains making the ice shatter. Will gingerly stood up, once again realizing how sore she was. Soon Hay Lin was free as well.

Just as the three went to help their friends the bandit leader suddenly appeared and grabbed Hay Lin, placing the dagger at her throat.

"Any of you leaf brats move and she dies!" He shouted.

Immediately Naruto, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Will, and Irma froze their eyes wide at the sight of Hay Lin at knife point.

Naruto glared at the leader and snarled. "Let her go!" He growled dangerously.

The leader laughed mockingly. "A young man wanting to save his sweetheart, how touching."

"I said let her go!" Naruto said his voice rising.

"Naruto!" Will hissed. "Be quiet. You're only making it worse."

"What do you want?" Irma asked.

"The leaf's strategies," the leader replied.

"Why?" Sasuke demanded.

"So he can tell them to his boss," Will explained. "If he doesn't get any information, he's going to be in hot water."

The leader glared at Will. "Well, well, someone's very attentive. I suggest you keep your mouth shut or else." As he spoke the leader made a short line on Hay Lin's neck, drawing a thin stream of blood.

Naruto drew in a sharp intake of breath as Hay Lin winced in pain. The whisker marks on his cheeks became more pronounced and his eyes started changing color. "I'll say it one more time," Naruto growled. **"LET HAY LIN GO OR I'LL KILL YOU!"** He shouted.

Will, Irma, and Hay Lin stared at Naruto in shock. They were used to the fun loving, goofy, devoted to his village Naruto, but this was a side of him they had never seen before. He looked dangerous and ready to kill.

Before anyone could blink, Naruto ran towards the leader and literally threw him against the wall. Hay Lin dropped to her knees, thankful that she hadn't been hurt. Will and Irma ran to their friend and hugged her while Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Naruto stood protectively in front of the girls.

"Give us one good reason not to kill you right now," Shikamaru said.

"No," Will said. "Don't kill him."

Sasuke stared at her. "Why shouldn't we? He beat you and Hay Lin for three days. Why wouldn't you want him to die?"

"Because he's a scumbag and not worth our time. Besides, something tells me he'll be in a lot more trouble when his boss shows up," The keeper replied.

"Let's just get out of here," Irma said.

"There's just one more thing I have to do," Will said. With that she decked the leader as hard as she could, so hard in fact, that she knocked him out.

Shikamaru whistled. "Nice hit."

Irma smirked. "Will has fists of fury."

"Let's go. We can rest for a while in the Sand village," Naruto said.

"And get you two some food," Sasuke added, looking at both Will and Hay Lin.

Soon the six friends were outside the hideout walking back to the Sand.

"It feels so good to be outside again," Will said, breathing in the fresh air.

"Sun, I will never take you for granted again!" Hay Lin cried to the sky.

Naruto laughed as he supported Hay Lin. She was having a little trouble standing as the beating had been a lot for her to handle.

Sasuke turned to Shikamaru. "So why did Tsunade decide to send you and Irma?"

The lazy genius sent his girlfriend an annoyed look and she grinned back sheepishly.

"Actually, when Irma heard about Will and Hay Lin being in trouble she decided to help and drag me along with her," Shikamaru explained.

"In other words, Tsunade had no idea they left," Will said.

Naruto chuckled. "Irma Granny Tsunade is gonna kill you!"

Irma turned to him. "Naruto explain something to me."

"Um okay," Naruto said.

"When you saw the bandit pressing the knife up to Hay Lin, your eyes started turning red and you looked very dangerous. Mind telling us why that is?"

Naruto was hesitant to respond. He hadn't told them about the fox because he didn't want them to be afraid of him. Before he could say anything, Hay Lin answered for him. "It's because the nine tailed fox demon is sealed up inside of him."

This caused five heads to snap in her direction.

"How exactly did you become aware of that?" Sasuke asked.

Hay Lin flushed. "I read about it in Gaara's library a few days ago."

All the way to the Sand village, Naruto refused to look Hay Lin directly in the eye.

'Great now she knows about the fox. That probably just killed my chances of a relationship with her,' He thought.

As they reached the sand village gates, Temari and Kankuro came out to meet them.

"Temari? Kankuro? What are you guys doing out here?" Will asked.

"Lady Hokage sent us a letter explaining everything," Kankuro replied.

Temari turned to Shikamaru and Irma. "She said in the letter that if we saw you two we needed to tell you that you are, and I quote, 'In enormous trouble when you get back and are banned from missions for a month.'"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and Irma shrugged, unrepentant.

"Come one let's get you two to the hospital," Kankuro said to Will and Hay Lin.

A few minutes later, Sasuke and Naruto were waiting to see how Will and Hay Lin were. Irma and Shikamaru had gone off to talk with Temari. Kankuro was in the room with the girls.

"How are they?" Naruto asked when Kankuro came out.

"Not too bad. They both have a few cracked ribs, lots of bruises, some cuts, and need to eat something and have a good night's sleep, but nothing that won't heal in a few days," Kankuro replied.

Naruto and Sasuke both let out relieved breaths. It did not go unnoticed by Kankuro. He smirked slightly.

"You know, I meet Will and Hay Lin when they first came here on their mission. I don't know if you have noticed, but they're both very attractive. I'm thinking about asking one of them on a date," he said slyly.

Kankuro had to fight to keep a straight face as Naruto and Sasuke glared at him.

"You do anything like that and I swear I will-" Naruto began, but he was cut off when Kankuro started laughing.

"Relax. I'm just messing with you guys," He laughed.

Naruto blushed and Sasuke looked away embarrassed. This only made Kankuro snicker even more. Before any more teasing could commence, Will and Hay Lin walked out.

What are you guys talking about?" Will asked.

Kankuro smiled. "Nothing that I think you would find interesting," he said with a faint hint of sarcasm, which only Naruto and Sasuke picked up on.

"I'll show you guys to your rooms," Kankuro said.

Hay Lin lagged behind a little and Will turned around. "What are you waiting for Hay Lin?" she asked.

The air guardian bit her lip. "I think I'll go to my room later." Then she turned to Naruto. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Mutely, Naruto nodded and the other three left to give them privacy. After a few minutes of awkward silence Hay Lin spoke.

"Naruto I know that things between us have been slight chaos and I also know that it's my fault because of what happened at the party. I just wanted to get everything cleared up between us because… I have feelings for you Naruto," she said.

Naruto stared at her. "W-what?"

Hay Lin looked down at her feet. "Yeah, I have feelings for you. After you kissed me, I was confused because I had only known you for a short time and I wasn't quite sure how I felt. After I thought about though, I realized that I want to be with you."

When he heard this, part of Naruto was jumping for joy, but another part of him was worried.

"But what about the nine tails being sealed inside of me? Most people thought I was a monster because of it," he said.

Hay Lin smiled gently and took his hand. "I could care less about the fox Naruto. I just care about you. I know you aren't a monster and nothing will change that."

Naruto smiled softly at her and placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm gonna do something and I hope you don't run away this time."

Hay Lin smiled wider as Naruto bent down and captured her mouth with his. To Hay Lin it was even better than their first kiss had been. Behind Hay Lin, Irma, Temari, and Shikamaru walked down the hall. They froze when they saw Naruto and Hay Lin kissing.

Naruto felt their chakra and, knowing they were watching, pumped his fist in the air in a gesture that said, 'Victory is mine! Believe it!'

* * *

While all this was happening the bandit leader was nervously awaiting for his employers to show up. He didn't have to wait long.

"I hope you were successful," His employer said, as his followers watched behind him.

The bandit gulped. "I don't know anything about the leaf's strategies," he admitted.

The man in front of him frowned. "I'm disappointed I expected that you would-"

"But I do have information that might be useful," the bandit said, desperation clear in his voice.

"Go on."

"The girls I captured had strange abilities I noticed," The leader said. "One of them I'm pretty sure could call wind up out of nowhere and her friend had this crystal amulet around her neck."

His employer froze. "A crystal amulet?"

The bandit nodded.

"It seems that a new generation has come," one of the man's followers said. "We always knew it would happen eventually."

"However they came at a bad time. We don't need them helping the Leaf and Sand to defeat us," The employer said. Then he turned to the bandit. "You may not have given us what we wanted, but you did provide useful information."

The bandit sighed in relief, thinking that he was safe.

"However you know things that we don't want others to learn, so I'm afraid you'll have to be disposed of." Then he turned to the man nearest to him. "Kisame will you do the honors?"

Kisame grinned, showing all his sharp teeth and in an instant his large sword came down on the bandit.

"What do you suggest we do now?" Kakazu asked.

Red eyes gleamed maliciously. "We need to deal with the new guardians. It's time to call on the help of an old friend," Madara said.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	17. Chapter 17

**Whew! Long wait I know and I'm sorry. It takes a while for inspiration to kick in when I start writing a new chapter. So here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 17

For the next two days Irma, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Naruto, Will, and Hay Lin were relaxing in the Sand Village while Will and Hay Lin finished healing. Irma, to everyone's surprise, loved the village. She would always be outside looking around and talking with people. Will and Hay Lin had noticed and Will had decided that Irma should hear what Hay Lin had discovered.

"Why do I have to be the one to do it?" Hay Lin asked.

"Because you're the one that figured it out and you're her best friend," Will replied.

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean I can just walk right up and say 'Hey Irma did you know that you were probably adopted and that you were probably born here? Oh and get this, Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara are probably your siblings.' No, I can't tell her that!" Hay Lin cried.

Will rolled her eyes. "Hay Lin you don't have to say it like that. Look just go and talk to her and work your way up to it."

"Okay but she's not going to believe me," Hay Lin said.

"Who's not going to believe what?" Naruto asked suddenly appearing by the two girls.

Without missing a beat Will turned around and grabbed Naruto by the ear. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with Naruto," She said walking away with Naruto in tow.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, Will you're pulling my freaking ear off!" Naruto cried.

Hay Lin giggled at her boyfriend's torture before leaving to find Irma. She found her talking with Shikamaru on a balcony. Not wanting to be rude Hay Lin decided to wait until they were done.

"Come on Shikamaru, living with Yoshino can't be that bad," Irma laughed.

"Oh trust me, it's the most troublesome thing on this earth," Shikamaru said. "Aside from Ino that is."

Irma smirked. "Well I think your mother did a fine job raising you. I'm positive that it was no easy task considering that she had you for a son."

"Ha, ha very funny," Shikamaru replied sarcastically while Irma giggled some more. "So what about your mother?"

Irma paused for a minute. "Well my mom is great. She's very loving and usually doesn't scold me for anything. I mean some people would think that having a stepmother would be bad, but Anna is-"

"Wait a minute," Shikamaru said holding up a hand. "Stepmom?"

Irma sighed a little bit. "Yeah Anna's my stepmom. My mother died when I was very young. I don't even remember that much about her."

Hay Lin held her breath from her hiding spot. This was going in an interesting direction.

"Does your father ever take about her?" Shikamaru asked.

Irma shook her head. "No he hasn't told me anything. I never asked him anything, because I had Anna and he probably didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling me about my mother."

"What did she look like?" Shikamaru asked.

"I…I don't know," Irma said. "I was only about two years old when she died. All I can remember is that she had big blue eyes like mine and this warm voice that made me feel safe."

Hay Lin's mouth opened slightly in shock as she remembered what Gaara had told her. His other sister had only been a year and a half old when she disappeared and his mother had had blue eyes exactly like Irma's.

Irma shook her head with a small smile on her face. "Sorry Shika, I'm probably boring you to tears with all this."

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind. If you have anything you need to talk about you can always come to me. You know that right?" He asked.

Irma smiled and nodded. Shikamaru smirked and bent his head so he could kiss her. Hay Lin looked away to give them some privacy.

"I'll see you later. Kankuro has something he wants to show me," Shikamaru said.

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," Irma said.

Soon after Shikamaru left, Hay Lin went over to Irma. "Hey how are you?" she asked.

Irma smiled. "I'm good. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing much better. The doctor said my ribs should be as good as new in no time," Hay Lin said.

"That's good. The boys want to get back to the Leaf and I'm sure that Taranee, Cornelia, and Elyon are having anxiety attacks over you guys," Irma said.

Hay Lin giggled and leaned against the railing. "So I heard you and Shikamaru talking about your mother."

Irma raised an eyebrow. "You were listening?"

Hay Lin bit her lip before speaking. "I came because I have something to tell you. It's about your birth mom."

"What is it?" Irma asked.

Hay Lin opened her mouth to keep talking when Temari came up to them. "Irma some of the kids want you to do your water tricks for them."

"Again?" Irma asked in disbelief. "This has gotta be the tenth time."

"Well they won't stop bugging me about it," Temari laughed.

"I'll see you later Hay Lin," Irma said "I gotta go make some kids happy."

"Okay," Hay Lin replied. 'Dang it I was this close!' she thought.

* * *

Will was walking through Gaara's home when she saw her partner leaning against the wall looking out the window.

"Hey Sasuke," She greeted walking over.

Sasuke looked up at her and nodded. "Hello Will."

"So what's up?" Will asked standing beside him.

"Nothing much, although I am starting to get a little annoyed with Naruto, Hay Lin, Shikamaru, and Irma," Sasuke replied rolling his eyes.

"Tell me about it," the keeper said with a laugh. "Seriously I think those guys need to tone it down a bit. From the looks of it Temari and Kankuro are having a tough time stomaching it too."

A few second of silent passed before Will looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye and blushed lightly. Since he had rescued her from the bandits Will's feelings for Sasuke had grown. The only thing that bothered her was that she knew nothing about his life before she met him.

"You know Sasuke I've been thinking and we may be friends, but we don't really know that much about each other," Will said.

Sasuke immediately tensed a little nervous about what Will had to say. "And?"

"Well I thought that maybe we could tell each other about our families and stuff like that," the keeper continued.

Sasuke clenched his fist as unwanted memories came to him. Will noticed. "Sasuke are you okay?"

Sasuke turned and narrowed his eyes at her. "You shouldn't put your nose into other people's business. Especially when they don't want to share it," He snapped.

Will stepped back a little surprise by the hostility in Sasuke's voice and the Uchiha felt a little guilty about snapping at her, but it didn't stop him from saying one more thing.

"Next time you should probably keep your mouth shut," he said.

This time Will's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what your deal is, but clearly I am bothering you so I'll just stay out your way for a while," she said walking away.

Sasuke watched her leave before he shook his head. Now he really felt guilty.

"What was all that about?"

The Uchiha looked up and saw Hay Lin in front of him. "It was nothing."

"Really, because it sure didn't seem like nothing," The air guardian responded. "Look Sasuke I'm sure if you just explain everything to Will she'll understand. I mean you might not want to mention the fact that you joined the Akatsuki, but if you just-"

"How do you know about that?" Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes.

Hay Lin grinned sheepishly. "Naruto told me everything."

Sasuke clenched his fists. 'I'm going to kill that idiot!'

Hay Lin smiled at him. "Sasuke if you give Will a chance I'm positive that she'll surprise you. Besides if you don't open up now you'll never be able to confess how you feel about her later on."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke cried. "I don't have feelings for Will."

Hay Lin smirked. "Don't you dare lie to me Sasuke. I can totally tell that you like her. Plus Naruto told me how you freaked out when you heard Will was in danger."

"Does he tell you everything?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"Pretty much," Hay Lin said with a grin before turning serious. "Sasuke just trust me okay. Will's not dumb and she's going to find out what you've been hiding one way or another and I think it would be best if she heard it all from you and not just from silly gossip."

Sasuke was silent for a moment before he let a deep breath. "I'll tell her…eventually."

At this Hay Lin shook her head at her friend's stubbornness.

* * *

Back in the leaf, the other guardians were still a little worried about their friends. And apparently it showed.

"Alright what's wrong?" Neji asked Cornelia one day during training.

"What are you talking about Neji?" The blonde asked.

"You've been distracted. You're not putting your all into your training," Neji said.

Cornelia turned slightly pink. "I'm worried about my friends," she mumbled. 'And you can be very distracting yourself Neji,' she thought.

Her partner raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should go home and rest for a while. We can resume in a few hours."

"I don't need to rest. I still have a lot of energy left," Cornelia replied.

"Still you should take a break."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Cornelia replied teasingly.

"Hey Neji!"

Cornelia turned around at the new voice and saw a pretty young woman with brown hair tied up in buns running towards them. She ran right past Cornelia and stopped besides Neji.

"Are you ready Neji?" She asked with a smile.

Cornelia turned to her partner. "Who's this Neji?"

"This is TenTen. She was on my team along with Lee," Neji explained.

"So you've known her for a long time," The earth guardian stated trying to keep her composure. "So TenTen why are you here?"

"We've been training together everyday after he's done teaching you," TenTen explained politely. The weapons mistress smiled at Neji who smirked back at her and Cornelia felt a knot of great unease tighten in her stomach.

'So this is why he wanted me to leave. So he could train with her. Are TenTen and Neji…?' Cornelia couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. She cleared her throat. "Well I should probably be going."

"You don't have to leave," TenTen said. "You can train with us if you want. The two of us can gang up on Neji," she joked.

The genius rolled his eyes. "As if."

"I'm actually not feeling too well all of a sudden and I wouldn't want to bother you two," Cornelia said.

TenTen nodded and gave her a friendly smile. "Well I hope you feel better Cornelia."

'Yeah right. I doubt I won't be feeling better for a long time,' Cornelia thought bitterly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Neji eyeing her in something like suspicion. It was like he didn't believe her for some reason. The blonde gave him a friendly and utterly fake smile and a wave before turning on her heel and leaving the two alone.

The second Cornelia got out of Neji's byakugan range she bolted towards her apartment. When she reached her destination she knocked on Taranee's door hoping she was there and not off training with Lee. Luck was apparently with her there because her dark skinned friend opened the door a few seconds later.

"Hey Cornelia," She greeted.

"Can I come in?" Cornelia asked.

Whether it was the fact that she was a telepath or the fact that the two girls were best friends Taranee immediately sensed something was wrong. "Of course," She said with a nod.

Cornelia sat on the couch and Taranee sat next to her. "What is it?" Taranee asked.

"It's Neji," the earth girl muttered.

"What happened?"

"It's kind of a long story," Cornelia said.

"I see," Taranee said a few minutes later after her friend had told her about TenTen. "And you think Neji and TenTen are dating?"

"What else could it be?" Cornelia asked. "They've known each other for years and they still train together every day. Has Lee mentioned anything about TenTen?"

Taranee nodded. "He told me that she is an excellent fighter and an expert at close distance combat with weapons. She never misses her mark. He also said that TenTen and Neji hold each other in high regard."

She immediately cringed realizing what she just said as Cornelia moaned and buried her face into a pillow.

"That didn't help at all did it?" Taranee asked.

"Ya think?" came the muffled, sarcastic reply. "Man I am such an idiot!"

"Wait a minute I thought you said you didn't have any feelings for Neji," Taranee said confused.

"I didn't before the stupid mistletoe incident!" Cornelia replied.

Taranee couldn't resist. "And before that dream you had of the two of you kissing?"

Cornelia's eyes widened and she shot up staring at Taranee in shock. "How the freak do you know about that? I didn't even tell Elyon!"

Taranee laughed. "They don't call me a telepath for nothing. And I wasn't exactly snooping around in your head. That was pretty much all you thought about that morning. And don't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing if it were someone else."

Cornelia blushed furiously and glared at Taranee who only smirked. "Well what you are going to do?"

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked.

"What are you going to do about Neji stupid?" the fire guardian laughed.

"I'm not going to do anything. I don't want to risk losing his friendship and the fact is that he will most likely not return my feelings," Cornelia said crossing her arms.

Taranee snorted. "Oh please. The Cornelia I know would do everything she could to get the guy she liked."

"That's because the guys I liked back then were freaking single!" Cornelia shot back.

"You don't even know for sure if Neji is dating TenTen. If he's not then he's crazy not to like you just a little bit!" Taranee cried.

"Tara I can't even get Neji to open up to me. How am I supposed to tell him I like him?"

"Easy. Just go up to him and plant one on him!"

Cornelia's jaw dropped. Since when did shy and sweet Taranee get so bold as to even suggest that?

"You are…totally insane! I can't kiss Neji!" She cried.

The fire guardian was silent for a moment before an evil grin spread across her face. "Corny I have a deal to make with you."

"What would that be?" Cornelia asked a little unnerved by the way Taranee was grinning.

"If you don't confess to Neji within a month then I'll tell Lee and Gai that you have feelings for him."

Cornelia's eyes widened. She'd known Lee and Gai long enough to know that if they found out she liked Neji they would yell it out to the entire freaking village and then some. To her that would be more mortifying then anything she had ever experienced in her life

"Do we have a deal?" Taranee asked trying very hard not to burst out laughing at Cornelia's face.

The earth guardian glared daggers at Taranee, wishing so bad that looks could kill. "I hate you so much right now," she said standing up and walking for the door.

"I'll take that as a yes," Taranee laughed. "Remember Cornelia; within a month."

Cornelia slammed the door behind and scowled when she heard Taranee laughing hysterically. 'I am so screwed,' she thought.

* * *

While all this was going on the Akatsuki were plotting against the guardians.

"They won't be very easy to defeat that's for sure," Kisame said.

Madara shook his head. "If everything goes according to plan they will be eliminated without too much trouble."

Konan silently walked into the room. "We did as you asked Madara."

"Good," he said with an evil smirk. The smirk got even wider as the main part of his plan walked towards him.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki Nerissa," He greeted.

Nerissa smiled. "It feels so good to be free."

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Dun, dun, DUNNNN! Okay just a heads up, how Nerissa was freed will be explained in later chapters so don't worry about that. Also before I forget please check out the Naruto/W.I.T.C.H crossover_ 'Dangerous love,'_ written by –X-xx-Sazza-xx-X- and yours truly. R AND R**


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay some of you are probably wondering why you couldn't review the last chapter. Well I was idiot and deleted the author's notes I had put up a while ago so the other chapters took their places if that makes any sense at all. So blame my idiocy for that little problem. So if it says that you can't review this chapter then just PM me with your review.**

Chapter 18

After another night in the Sand Village Naruto, Hay Lin, Will, Sasuke, Irma, and Shikamaru were heading back to the leaf.

"Thanks again for letting us stay for so long," Hay Lin said to Gaara.

The Kazekage nodded. "It wasn't any trouble."

"Well I'll have to come back again soon. I really like your village Gaara," Irma said with a smile.

At that Will shot Hay Lin a look and mouthed 'You didn't tell her,' to which the air guardian mouthed the words 'I tried to.'

As the group traveled through the desert Naruto and Hay Lin noticed how Will didn't look at or speak to Sasuke at all as she walked ahead of him.

"Is Will mad at Sasuke or something?" Naruto asked Hay Lin in a whisper.

"She's upset because he snapped at her when she tried to find out a little more about his life so now she's ignoring him," She whispered back.

Her boyfriend nodded in understanding. "Is he going to tell her?"

Hay Lin nodded. "He said he would eventually."

Sasuke meanwhile was starting to get frustrated with the fact that Will wouldn't talk to him. "You're going to have to say something sometime," he said, which of course got no response whatsoever from the redhead.

The six friends traveled the rest of the day in slightly awkward silence due to the angry Will and Sasuke before stopping to rest for the night in a forest.

Irma leaned against a tree and took off her shoes. "Maybe I won't go back to the sand so soon if I have to keep traveling like this every time I go."

Shikamaru chuckled. "You'll get used to it," he said.

"Do you think one of us should stay up and keep watch just in case of possible enemies?" Hay Lin asked.

"If you want to no one's stopping you," Sasuke replied.

"Great so you and Will can take the first watch," Naruto said with a grin.

Will whipped her head to glare at Naruto, but he was already talking with Hay Lin. 'Thanks a lot Naruto you jerk,' she thought scathingly.

A few hours later a small fire was going and Will and Sasuke were leaning against some trees while their friends were asleep. Will smiled a little bit when she saw Naruto with his arms around Hay Lin and Irma cuddled up against Shikamaru. She felt Sasuke's gaze on her, but she still refused to look at him.

Sasuke sighed. "I understand why you're ignoring me and I can't say that I blame you. Will you just say something already?"

Will was silent for a minute before sighing. "You didn't have to snap at me you know."

Sasuke nodded happy that she was speaking to him again. "I know and…I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," the redhead replied. "And if you have something you didn't want to talk about all you had to do was tell me. You're not the only whose had a rough life."

Sasuke looked at her questioningly with an eyebrow raised and Will smiled a little bitterly.

"I grew up in a place different from where Hay Lin, Irma and the rest of my friends lived. I only met them about 4 years ago and they're a lot better than my old friends I can tell you that," Will said.

"Why do you say that?" Sasuke asked.

Will sighed. "When I was 12 my parents separated and that's when I found out that my so called friends had actually hated me and only hung out with me because they felt sorry for me. After my dad left they stopped talking to me altogether."

Sasuke's eyes widened. How anyone could do that to someone like Will was beyond him. "I'm sorry," he said.

Will smiled at him. "Don't be. I'm happy now. I have the best friends in the world and I wouldn't trade them for anything."

"It must have been hard when your parents separated," Sasuke said.

"Yeah it was. My parents were always fighting and I didn't have friends any more. I felt so alone," Will admitted.

Sasuke looked at the fire. "There was a time in my life that I felt alone for a long time."

"I guess that's something we have in common," Will said with a small smile.

There were a few minutes of silence before Sasuke broke it.

"Will the reason why I snapped at you when you asked about my family is that it's not something I can talk about easily," He paused for a few seconds while Will waited patiently. "My family was killed a long time ago."

Will's eyes widened. "What?"

"Not only were my parents killed, but my entire clan was wiped out. I'm the only Uchiha left," Sasuke said quietly closing his eyes.

He didn't realized that Will had gotten up from her position across from him until she was directly beside him. "I'm sorry," she said softly leaning her head on his shoulder. Sasuke's eyes widened at the gesture but he didn't push her away.

An hour later he looked down and saw that Will had fallen asleep. Sasuke used this to examine how the fire seemed to make Will's face and bright red hair glow. He brought his hand to her face, but hesitated afraid he would wake her. After a slight pause he quickly brushed his fingers against Will's cheek before looking back into the fire. Little did he know that a certain air guardian had woken up seconds ago and had seen Sasuke's little gesture.

'Wow he's in deeper than I thought,' Hay Lin thought before closing her eyes and going back asleep.

The next morning Irma was the first to wake up. She smiled softly at her boyfriend who was still dead asleep before turning her head to look at her friends…and her eyes widened. "Holy cow," she breathed.

Sasuke and Will were fast asleep against the tree, but in his sleep Sasuke had wrapped his arms around Will who was resting her head against his chest with a smile on her face.

Irma quietly crawled away from Shikamaru over to Hay Lin and Naruto and shook them awake.

"Whas goin' on," Naruto muttered sleepily as Hay Lin blinked groggily.

"Look," Irma whispered pointing across from them.

When Naruto and Hay Lin saw the position their friends were in, wide smirks spread across their faces.

"I can't wait to see the look on Sasuke's face when he wakes up," Naruto snickered.

"Who would've thought that those two would like each other?" Irma asked shaking her head, while Hay Lin chuckled.

The commotion the three were making woke up Will and Sasuke. "Will you guys be quiet already?" Will asked, a little irritated, before laying her head back down.

'Man this pillow is so comfy. Wait a minute? What pillow?' Will thought her eyes widening as she remembered that she didn't have a pillow. Her face went as red as her hair as she and Sasuke, whose cheeks had a small tinge of pink, quickly separated. Their embarrassment only made their friends laugh harder.

"Shut up!" Sasuke growled.

Hay Lin tried to stop to save her friends from any more embarrassment, but Irma and Naruto showed no sympathy whatsoever as they leaned against each other laughing hysterically. Later, after Irma and Naruto had stopped laughing, thanks to a few punches from Will, and after Irma had practically kicked Shikamaru awake, the group continued on their way back to the leaf.

* * *

A few days later, back in said village, Elyon was training with Kiba, Hinata, and Shino.

"So Shino what's the deal with those bugs of yours?" Elyon asked.

"I can control them to do whatever I wish them to do," Shino explained absentmindedly.

"Okay," Elyon said shifting a little. She had gotten used to Shino, but his bugs made her skin crawl. When she went back to watching Kiba and Akamaru wrestling, she smiled. Her opinion of Kiba had changed drastically and for some reason Elyon was starting to feel drawn towards him.

"Elyon are you alright?" Hinata asked beside her.

"Yeah I'm fine Hinata why do you ask?" The queen said raising an eyebrow.

"Well your chakra keeps on spiking up and I'm a little concerned," the Hyuga heiress stated.

Elyon inwardly groaned. She had to be very careful to level her powers when Hinata was around since she could sense it or see it with her Byakugan. It was hard to keep that much control on her powers for long periods of time and she sometimes slipped up a little bit.

"Don't worry," Elyon said putting on what she hoped was a convincing smile. "I'm feeling great."

"Alright, if you say so," Hinata said softly, though she still looked genuinely concerned.

Elyon smiled a little. 'Hinata you are so sweet,' she thought.

"Ellie, are you ready to get your butt whooped again?" Kiba called to her with a smirk.

Elyon gave him a smirk of her own and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'again?' If I recall correctly you're the one who got his butt whooped pretty bad yesterday."

Kiba laughed. "That's only because you and Akamaru ganged up on me."

"Keep telling yourself that, dog boy," the blonde smirked. "Maybe one day you'll believe it."

Just as the two got ready to go at it, Ino burst into their training grounds.

"THEY'RE BACK! THEY'RE BACK!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Akamaru laid his head on the ground and put his paws over his head while Elyon rubbed her ear which was ringing slightly thanks to Ino. "Okay first of all there is no need to make poor Akamaru and myself go deaf and second of all whose back?"

"Irma, Shikamaru, Will, Hay Lin, Sasuke, and Naruto just got back. I saw them walking towards the Hokage tower a few minutes ago," Ino explained in a, thankfully, quieter voice.

"Are Will and Hay Lin okay?" Elyon asked.

Ino nodded. "Yep I got a good look at em and they look just fine."

"That's a relief," the queen said with a sigh.

"Do you wanna go see them?" Kiba asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I want to, but Tsunade will probably be keeping them for a while. Besides you need another butt whooping," Elyon said.

"In your dreams, blondie," Kiba laughed.

* * *

In the Hokage tower, Will, Sasuke, Hay Lin, and Naruto stood outside Tsunade's door while she 'talked' with Shikamaru and Irma. Will, Naruto, and Hay Lin were fighting back laughter and Sasuke was smirking at Tsunade's yelling.

"DO YOU TWO REALIZE WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED? I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU IDIOTS WOULD DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS! Irma, stop smirking this instant and get serious young lady! Since you're a new ninja I expected some type of rebelliousness, BUT THIS JUST TAKES THE CAKE! NARUTO DIDN'T DO SOMETHING AS STUPID AS THIS!" Tsunade screeched.

"How does she even draw breaths in rants like this?" Will asked Sasuke with a giggle.

The Uchiha shrugged. "Tsunade probably takes a really deep breath before she starts."

After a few more minutes of yelling, Irma and Shikamaru walked out. Irma looked completely unrepentant and Shikamaru was giving Irma a very annoyed and angry look.

"Stop giving me that look!" Irma cried.

"Well it's your fault we're banned from missions for three weeks, you troublesome woman" her boyfriend retorted.

Irma gave him a sly smile. "Well hey, look on the bright side. We can spend all that time together."

"I really don't-" Shikamaru began before stopping. He raised an eyebrow at Irma who grinned back at him. "Hmm that doesn't sound half bad actually," the lazy Nara said.

Their friends rolled their eyes, but before anyone could say anything…

"LIN, UCHIHA, UZUMAKI, VANDOM, GET IN HERE NOW!" Tsunade bellowed furiously.

Will and Hay Lin didn't waste any time following the Hokage's orders while Sasuke and Naruto took just a few seconds longer to obey. Shizune was standing by Tsunade looking very flustered as the blonde woman drank a large gulp of sake to calm herself down. After a few deep breaths Tsunade turned to the four teens.

"I see you boys brought Will and Hay Lin back safely," she said in a rather hoarse voice.

"We stayed in sand village for a while to heal since those bandits showed no mercy when beating us," Will explained.

"Bandits?" Tsunade asked raising her eyebrow.

Will nodded. "Yeah, but the weird thing is, their leader wanted information about the leaf. We didn't have any and because he wasn't getting anything out of us he was starting to get really worried, because he's working for someone else," Hay Lin said.

Tsunade froze and her hazel eyes widened and Shizune dropped the papers she was holding in shock. It was dead quiet for about seven seconds.

"Is there something wrong?" Sasuke asked.

Tsunade blinked shaking her head a little bit. "I-it's nothing that you four need to concern yourselves with."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "If something's going on then we have a right to know since Hay Lin and Will found out about the bandit working for someone else!" he cried.

Tsunade clenched her fists and her eyes got a look of anger. "I don't have to tell you anything. Just let me look into this and if I find out something I think you should know then I'll tell you. For now though I have nothing to say to you about this. Now go," she snapped before taking another long swig of sake.

Will and Hay Lin exchanged worried looks as Naruto and Sasuke led them out of Tsunade's office. When the Hokage could no longer feel their chakra she sighed deeply.

"It's happened, hasn't it my lady?" Shizune asked.

"I always knew this day would come so there is no need to be surprised," Tsunade said to herself before turning to Shizune. "I have a strong feeling that the Akatsuki know that a new generation of guardians has arrived in the village. We need to take even more precautions to ensure their safety."

Shizune looked Tsunade right in the eyes. "Lady Tsunade this is the time for them to find out the truth. They need to know about the legacy of the other guardians and some of them need to learn about their heritage," she said.

Tsunade put her head in her hands. "After so many years I'd given up hope of the new guardians coming, but when they did I realized that I wasn't as ready as I thought I was about telling them. I never thought I'd see the day when the granddaughter of Yan Lin would return to the place where she was born."

* * *

"Was it just me or was Grandma Tsunade hiding something from us?" Will asked an hour later as she and Naruto sat at Ichiraku's.

"No duh she was hiding something," Naruto said through mouthfuls of ramen.

"I wish I knew what it was?" Will said placing her chin in her hands.

"Don't worry about it right now," her friend said. "Just enjoy this delicious pork ramen."

The redhead laughed at Naruto's goofiness before continuing her meal.

Suddenly Lee appeared. "Mind if we join you."

Will and Naruto turned around and saw Neji and TenTen catching up to Lee.

"Sure no problem. The more the merrier!" Naruto cried.

"I see you've arrive back safely," Neji said once he saw Will.

"Yep, fortunately no serious harm was inflicted," Will replied. "So how have Cornelia and Taranee been doing?"

"Well they've been worried sick about you and Hay Lin," Neji replied.

Will rolled her eyes. "I meant training wise."

"Taranee has blossomed into such a talented and youthful ninja so fast I can hardly believe it!" Lee cried happily. "She has exceeded the high expectations I had for her and I am sure that she will continue to blossom even more!"

Will sweatdropped before quickly looking at Nejii. "And Cornelia?"

"She's been doing well. So far her strongest point is throwing weapons. She has impressive aim," Neji explained.

TenTen smiled. "Yeah I saw her training with Neji once. I gotta say I was impressed. She's as good as I am."

Will smirked before putting noodles into her mouth. 'If only they knew about Cornelia's telekinesis powers.'

"Hey speaking of which," Naruto said turning around. "Cornelia, Taranee, over here!" He called waving his arm.

Will turned around just in time to see Taranee and Cornelia look right at her seconds before they practically strangled her with their hug.

"We were so worried about you!" Taranee cried as Cornelia asked at the same time "Are you and Hay Lin okay?"

Will laughed. "Guys don't worry. Hay Lin and I are fine. We just got back an hour ago."

"Would you two like to join us?" Lee asked.

When Cornelia looked up to reply, several knots tightened in her stomach when she saw TenTen sitting next to Neji and she gulped, her mouth having suddenly gone dry.

"Cornelia, are you okay?" Will asked.

The earth guardian gave the keeper a smile that she knew was completely fake. "Yeah I'm just tired. I'm not that hungry either so I guess I'll just see you guys later," she said leaving before Will could stop her.

_'What was that all about?'_ Will asked Taranee.

_'Cornelia has feelings for Neji and she's upset and hurt because she thinks he and TenTen are dating,_' Taranee explained.

_'When did this happen?_' the redhead asked.

_"Just a few days ago. I made a deal with Cornelia that if she doesn't tell Neji about her feelings for him in the next few weeks, I'm going to tell Lee and Gai,_' Taranee laughed.

_'Oh that is just cruel and unusual, Tara!'_ Will replied with a laugh.

_'I know. It's rather fun being evil,'_ Taranee admitted with a small smirk.

Will shook her head. Between dealing with Tsunade keeping secrets, Cornelia's love problems, Taranee's newfound evilness, Irma and Hay Lin's relationships with Shikamaru and Naruto, respectively, and sorting out her own feelings for the brooding Uchiha heir, Will's life was getting more complicated every day.

'Any more crazy things happen in my life and I think my head just might explode,' Will thought.

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Alright this is probably the fastest update I've done in a while. I hope you guys enjoy the little dramatic parts I'm throwing in. Remember to PM me if you can't review the chapter. Also for those of you who do not know, I have a youtube account and have recently posted two videos. One is about Irma and Blunk with the Hula song from the Lion King. The other is a Naruto and WITCH Beauty and the Beast crossover trailer. If you want to watch these videos, look up my penname Broadwaygirl01. See ya!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

It was well into the morning the next day when Kurenai, Gai, Kakashi and most of the ANBU assembled in Tsunade's office.

"I'm sorry for calling you all here on such short notice, but something important has come up the will require all of your help," Tsunade said. "As you know two of the guardians, Will and Hay Lin, were attacked close to the sand village. I sent a letter to the Kazekage and a after an investigation we have come to the conclusion that the man who attacked the guardians was working for the Akatsuki."

"And they know about the guardians now don't they?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm positive that they do," Tsunade answered. "That is why we must watch the guardians very closely to make sure that nothing happens to them. If the Akatsuki get a hold of them who knows what would happen. We especially must watch Irma, Will, and Hay Lin."

"May I ask why my lady?" Gai asked.

"Will and Irma are very powerful, more than they know, and I'm sure Madara wants Hay Lin for different reasons. I'm sorry, but I can't explain it to you until the three of them know themselves," Tsunade said.

"We will do as you say Lady Hokage," Kurenai said.

"Thank you. You may all go," Tsunade said. When everyone was gone she leaned back in her seat. "Shizune please get me my sake. I'm going to need it."

"Are you going to tell them?" Shizune asked.

"Why do you want me to tell them so badly," the Hokage asked raising an eyebrow.

"They have a right to know. You're keeping their heritage a secret from them. They come from some of the most powerful clans and they don't even know about it," Shizune said.

"I will tell them, but not until I know for sure that they are in danger," Tsunade said.

"My lady they can help us if they know. With their powers we could finally destroy the Akatsuki once and for all," her assistant cried.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly. "Their power is the reason they are in danger. Will, Irma, and Hay Lin are more powerful then they know. They have no idea of what they each posses. If the Akatsuki were to get a hold of them…it could lead to disaster."

Shizune nodded. "I understand, but I would feel more assured if you told them sooner rather than later."

"For the last time Shizune, when I tell them is my choice and not yours. I don't want to hear anymore of this. Is that understood?" Tsunade said fiercely.

Shizune hesitated before nodding slowly. "Yes my lady."

"You may go," the blonde woman said putting her hand to her forehead with a frustrated sigh.

* * *

In the training grounds Will and Sasuke were sparring and he was very impressed with her growing strength and speed.

"Will if you keep this up Tsunade will give you more missions for sure," Sasuke said, blocking one of her attacks.

"Yeah right, after how my last one turned out I'm probably not going to get any missions ever again," Will said with a laugh, dancing out of the way of Sasuke's attacks.

After a few minutes Sasuke noticed that Will would wince slightly every so often and stopped. "You shouldn't work yourself too hard after you just finished healing. You should take a break."

"Sasuke I'm fine," Will insisted.

"Then why do you keep wincing?" Sasuke asked.

"Okay maybe I'm a little sore, but it's nothing serious," Will said.

"You're very stubborn you know that?"

Will smirked. "It's something I'm very proud of in fact."

Sasuke gave a tiny smile. "You're impossible," he said teasingly.

Will turned a little pink. This was the first time she had ever seen Sasuke smile rather than smirk and to know that he was smiling at her gave her a little thrill.

"Seriously though," Sasuke said. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Will smirked at him. "Why Sasuke, I'm touched. I didn't know you cared so much."

Sasuke looked off to the side. 'I care more then you could know,' he thought.

A puff of smoke appeared next to them and Kakashi stepped forward.

"Kakashi long time no see," Will grinned.

"More like long time no annoy," Sasuke muttered.

"It's nice to see you again too Will," Kakashi said, completely ignoring Sasuke altogether. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I thought I should warn you that Naruto is looking for you."

"What does the loser want this time?" Sasuke asked, while Wil chuckled.

"All I know is that he wants your help with something that could possibly end very badly. I suggest you make a run for it," Kakashi said before poofing off.

The second he was gone, Sasuke grabbed Will's wrist and started running.

"Whoa, where are we going, Sasuke?" Will asked trying to keep up.

"We're going to hide out for a while," he replied.

"Okay, but do you have to run so fast?" Will asked.

"When you're running from Naruto, you need to run fast," Sasuke explained.

Will rolled her eyes and just settled on keeping up with him. It wasn't too long before Sasuke slowed down to a walk. That's when Will noticed all the houses, most of which looked extremely fancy.

"Sasuke where are we?" she asked.

"The Uchiha compound," he replied.

The redhead stopped dead in her tracks, stunned.

"What?" Sasuke asked seeing her shocked expression.

"It's just that I didn't think you would bring me here, of all places," Will said.

Sasuke smirked. "I've been living here for about a year now. I just got my house fixed and everything. We're going to hide from Naruto there."

"Um if this is where you live Naruto's going to look here first," Will said.

The Uchiha's smirk got wider. "No he won't. Naruto can be very non-observant at times and he still has yet to figure out that I moved back here."

Will raised an eyebrow before she started to laugh.

"My house is just up here," Sasuke said turning the corner.

When the guardian saw Sasuke's home, her jaw dropped. "Forget 'house' Sasuke, you live in a freaking mansion!" She cried.

Sasuke chuckled once before opening the door. "Ladies first," he said stepping aside for Will.

Will smiled at him and walked in. Sasuke didn't have to wait very long to hear her next exclamation.

"Holy crap! How much money do you have Sasuke?" Will cried.

He walked in behind her without a word and sat down on the couch. "What do you think?"

"This place is awesome!" Will exclaimed sitting down in the chair across from him. "I love it!"

When Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head back, Will looked around and saw a picture. She picked it up and realized it was a picture of Sasuke's family. Will smiled a little at the image of a younger Sasuke and her gaze fell on his mother.

"Wow Sasuke you look just like her," Will said without thinking.

"What?" Sasuke asked opening his eyes.

Will sheepishly bit her lip. "Your mother, you take after her."

Sasuke saw the picture in her hands, stood up, and walked over to Will. "I know. Naruto teases my about it frequently," he said taking the picture and putting it back where it belonged.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, I didn't mean-," Will began, but Sasuke held up a hand stopping her.

"Don't apologize. It's fine. You have a right to be curious," he said calmly, though Will could sense an edge to his voice.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked, resting her elbow on the table beside her. As she did so, Will accidentally knocked over a crystal glass and it fell to the floor splitting in two equal pieces. The keeper jumped up to clean up the glass, but Sasuke was already kneeling down picking it up.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke. Ugh, I'm such a clutz!" Will apologized.

"This belonged to my mother," Sasuke said quietly.

Will's stomach dropped and her face paled in horror. 'Oh my gosh, what have I done?' In a panic, she started streaming apologies to Sasuke as he stood up and walked away from her. Midway between her sixth she saw Sasuke looking at her with an extremely amused look on his face. Will's mouth dropped when she realized that Sasuke had just been kidding.

"You jerk!" She screamed, jumping to her feet, which made him laugh. Had Will not been so angry with him, she probably would have been shocked to see Sasuke laugh. Since she was mad at him though, she grabbed a pillow and chucked it across the room at him.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was gone and Will barely had time to register that before she felt a presence very, very close behind her.

"You're fast, but not fast enough," Sasuke said his mouth close to Will's ear. Her face turned bright red and the hairs on the back on her neck stood straight up as she felt Sasuke's breath on her skin.

'Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!' Will chanted repeatedly in her head.

The keeper was sure her heart would just explode out of her chest when Sasuke placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry about the glass thing," he said smoothly. "Am I forgiven?"

"Y-yes," Will stuttered, her cheeks still stained a dark red. 'Does this mean he likes me the same way I like him?' she thought.

"Thank you. I don't want you to stay angry with me," Sasuke said softly.

Will started breathing heavily and she had great difficulty in trying to slow down her franticly beating heart.

"That glass was expensive though. You'll have to make that up to me," Sasuke said.

Will's heart may as well have stopped right then and there. "H-how exactly am I going to do that?"

Sasuke smirked. "You can let me keep you captive for the day. In other words you let me treat you to lunch. How does that sound?"

"N-not bad," Will replied.

"Good," Sasuke said releasing her shoulders and stepping away from her. "I need to go throw the glass away, I'll be right back."

The second Sasuke was gone, Will immediately collapsed into the chair, placing a hand over her heart.

'Oh my gosh. What the heck just happened?' she thought.

* * *

At Team Gai's training ground Taranee, Cornelia, Neji, and Lee were sparring together. Taranee and Neji were training together this time, because Cornelia had insisted on sparring with Lee and had been avoiding looking at the Hyuga all day.

'What is with her?' Neji thought to himself glancing at Cornelia while at the same time trying to focus on beating Taranee.

"Neji stop looking at Cornelia and keep your head in the game," Taranee said sending a jab at him.

"I'm not looking at her," Neji replied grabbing her wrist.

Taranee quickly flipped backwards and kicked at Neji with her foot while in midair, which he blocked.

"Don't play dumb, I've been watching you all morning," Taranee said. "Are you upset that she would rather train with Lee today rather then you?"

"That's not it," Neji said sending a kunai in her direction.

Taranee leaned out of the way and grabbed the kunai by the handle just as it whizzed by her head, sending it back at Neji.

"Then what is it?" The fire guardian asked mischief in her brown eyes.

"Nothing that you need to know about," the prodigy replied easily dodging the kunai.

"She's my best friend. I have a right to know," Taranee laughed, barely dodging an attack.

Neji didn't say anything else as he and Taranee sparred. He sent an attack at Taranee which threw her off balance and she teetered forward. Just as was about to hit the ground, Taranee felt two strong arms around her waist.

"Phew, that was a close one," Lee said with a smile helping Taranee balance again.

"Um thanks Lee," Taranee said blushing.

"Not to worry. I would not let anything happen to you if it would hurt you," Lee replied.

That was when Taranee realized that her glasses had fallen off when she tripped and had broken. "Oh man, I can't see a thing without my glasses on," she said with a frown.

"Relax Tara, I'm sure we can find you a new pair," Cornelia said folding her arms.

Lee took a better look at Taranee and realized that without her glasses he could really see her eyes, which were a stunning amber color.

'Her eyes are beautiful,' Lee thought. Then he shook his head. 'No Sakura has the most beautiful eyes. Nothing else compares to them!'

Cornelia raised an eyebrow when she saw Taranee blushing and Lee looking at Taranee like he was finally seeing her for the first time.

'Hmm. Looks like someone just might be starting to like her partner as more than a friend,' she thought in amusement.

Neji took advantage of the moment and cornered Cornelia. "Why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you," Cornelia said.

"Yes you are. Ever since you met TenTen you've been acting strange. What's wrong?" Neji demanded.

Cornelia looked at him her blue eyes ice cold. "I don't have to explain myself to you Neji. It's my business and you shouldn't be prying for information. Now if you'll excuse me I promised Elyon I would meet her for lunch," she said turning her back on Neji and walking away.

Taranee and Lee decided then that it was probably not a good time to be standing right there and they knew TenTen was on her way, so they quickly said goodbye to Neji and went off to train somewhere else, leaving a frustrated and irritated Hyuga behind.

A few seconds later TenTen sprinted up to him. "Hey Neji. What's up?"

"Just the usual TenTen," he replied.

"So anything happen with Cornelia?" TenTen asked.

Neji instantly tensed. "Please don't start TenTen."

"So something _did_ happen?" TenTen asked slyly.

When Neji didn't answer his friend let out a deep breath shaking her head. "Neji what is it with you and Cornelia? I would've thought you would have treated her a lot harsher than this."

"Cornelia's different. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about her that makes her stand out," Neji replied.

TenTen grinned. "And I'm sure the fact that she's beautiful has nothing to do with that at all," she said sarcastically with a laugh.

Neji gave her a glare and she stopped laughing. "Neji if you like her, why don't you just tell her?"

"She's been ignoring me lately and I don't know why," Neji said.

"Neji you're like a brother to me and I want you to be happy so I have a few questions. First, does knowing that you'll see Cornelia every day make you even slightly happy?"

"Yes," the Hyuga said with a nod.

"And as you've spent more time with her, do you want to find out more about her?"

"Yes."

"And does the world seem a lot brighter when she smiles, particularly when she smiles at you?"

"Yes."

TenTen clapped her heads. "Well then there you go, Neji. You're hooked and you need to go and tell Cornelia that you care about her."

"Why are you doing this TenTen?" Neji asked.

"Because like I said I want you to be happy and clearly Cornelia makes you happy," TenTen explained.

Neji closed his eyes and shook his head. "I still have no idea why she suddenly hates me."

"I'm sure it will pass," TenTen said with a shrug. "Now let's start sparring."

* * *

Far away in the Akatsuki hideout, Nerissa was sitting with Madara discussing their plan.

"So I help you get the guardians on your side and in return you help me attain my vision," Nerissa said, leaning back and folding her hands in her lap.

"Once we have the guardians the leaf won't stand a chance against us," Madara said.

Nerissa nodded. "Of course, but you must remember, Madara, that the guardians are wise beyond their years. If they discover anything that would make you seem like an enemy they won't hesitate to attack."

Madara waved her comment aside. "Don't worry, my dear friend. I have everything I need to convince them that they belong with the Akatsuki."

"And what exactly is that?" Nerissa asked.

"All in good time Nerissa," Madara said.

Nerissa frowned. "Madara if we are to work together, then I need to know you're plan."

"I forgot how persistent you could be," Madara said. "What I'll tell you is that the Hokage isn't being very honest with the new generation."

Understanding lit up the former keeper's eyes. "I see. So my old friend, Tsunade, hasn't told them of their true families. She will regret having waited because soon it will be too late."

"I only need the keeper, the water guardian, and the air guardian to stay alive. You can dispose of the earth and fire guardians once I've gained possession of their powers," Madara said.

"I'm touched you would give me that honor," Nerissa said.

"Tell me Nerissa, does Tsunade know of your betrayal?" Madara asked.

Nerissa laughed. "Kadma, Halinor, and Yan Lin were to cowardly to tell Tsunade and Jiraya, especially since Orochimaru had just left, so they told them that Cassidy had been killed in battle and that they did not know if I survived or not. Why do you ask?"

"Once I have the guardians on my side, I need you to go to Tsunade and work as a double agent. She will not suspect you. You must gain the Leaf's trust and convince them that you are on their side. Once the guardians see you fighting with the leaf, any doubts they might have will be gone and they will be mine."

Nerissa nodded. "I'm impressed. Truly a well thought out plan. When do we start?"

**END OF CHAPTER**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Cornelia took a deep breath and put her hand to her forehead massaging it gently.

"Rough training day?" Elyon asked.

The two girls were having lunch at Ichiraku's and the queen had noticed her friend was acting strange.

"Neji cornered me today," Cornelia replied.

"And what happened?" her friend asked.

"He asked me why I was ignoring him and what followed was a lot of us yelling at each other before I told him off and left him standing there," Cornelia explained.

Elyon rolled her eyes. "And you wonder why you're not getting anywhere with him."

The earth guardian sent her a glare that made Elyon think that now would be a good time to shut up.

"So what about you and Kiba?" Cornelia asked. "Anything interesting there."

Elyon blushed. "He's always fun to be around. When he trains with Akamaru or Hinata you see a sweet side to him, aside from the 'Alpha male' side of him. He knows how to get under my skin and he can annoy me at times, but I think I'm starting to fall for him."

"Why don't you tell him?" Cornelia asked.

"If I tell him, will you tell Neji?"

"Elyon! I get enough crap from Taranee I don't need you teasing me too," Cornelia cried.

"Relax Cornelia," Elyon laughed. "I'm just kidding. Seriously though, you should tell Neji. You don't want Lee and Gai screaming it out to the entire village do you?"

Cornelia groaned and let her head fall onto the table while Elyon laughed.

Suddenly Gai ran over to them as fast as he could. "Cornelia Tsunade wishes to see you so she can assign you your first youthful mission!"

The earth guardian's attitude quickly brightened. "A mission?"

Elyon smiled. "Well what are you waiting go find out what it is."

Without another word Cornelia jumped up and after getting a running start jumped onto roofs and started running across them.

'What a show off,' Elyon thought as she paid for her lunch.

* * *

When Cornelia walked into Tsunade's office her stomach dropped when she saw Taranee, Lee, and Neji had also been called.

"Glad you can join us Cornelia," Tsunade said.

Cornelia choose to stand next to Lee deliberately avoiding getting close to Neji, but not without shooting a dirty look at him first.

"Now that all of you are here I can tell you about your mission. The objective is to take down a group of rouge shinobi in the Land of Mist. They've been terrorizing the villagers for years and their shinobi have failed to stop them so it's up to the four to do so. At the moment they are situated on the border of the Mist and the Land of waves. The four of you will leave as soon are you ready" Tsunade explained.

"If they're that hard to beat how are we supposed to do it?" Taranee asked.

Tsunade smiled. "Don't see yourself short Taranee or you Cornelia. You both have improved dramatic since you arrived here and I'm positive you can do this, especially if Lee and Neji are with you."

"We accept the mission. We will put a stop to these ninja!" Lee cried.

"I'm sure you will. Neji, you're team leader. I know you can come up with a plan for this mission," Tsunade said.

"Of course," Neji said with a nod.

"Alright then, Neji, Lee, you two may leave, but I need to speak with Cornelia and Taranee for a minute," The hokage said.

Once Neji and Lee were gone the girls once again spoke their concern.

"Are you sure we can do this Tsunade? This is our first mission after all," Cornelia said.

"You're forgetting that you can use your powers to help you," Tsunade said. "With Taranee's telepathy finding the rouges and keeping track of each other shouldn't be a problem."

"Wait a minute, I never told you I was telepathic," Taranee said. "How did you know that?"

Tsunade quickly shook her head. "It's complicated. Besides Cornelia you'll have a bigger part in this mission. It will require a bit of acting on your part."

"What do you mean?" Cornelia asked.

The blonde Hokage handed Cornelia a scroll. "This will tell you what you need to do for this mission."

When Cornelia read the scroll, her eyes widened and her jaw went slack. Taranee looked surprised as well.

"You actually have these kinds of missions?" the earth guardian asked.

"Can you handle that Cornelia?" Tsunade asked.

Taranee snorted. "Please she could do that in her sleep, she's so pro."

Cornelia gave Taranee a glare and Tsunade's lips twitched. "That is all girls. You may go," she said.

The two walked out with Cornelia re-reading the scroll. "I didn't exactly appreciate that comment Taranee."

"Sorry, but you have to admit it is true," her friend replied. "You're an expert at this."

"Taranee, I've flirted with guys, but that doesn't even compare to a freaking _seduction mission!"_ Cornelia cried.

"I get why you don't exactly like the mission, but even you have to admit you'll have no trouble snagging the leader," Taranee said.

"Be that as it may," Cornelia retorted. "I'm still nervous."

Taranee shrugged and let it go, smirking. 'I can't wait to see how Neji reacts when he hears about this,' she thought.

* * *

Irma absentmindedly ran her fingers through her hair as she stepped into Shikamaru's home. "Shikaku are you home?" She called. Irma really liked Shikaku and the fact that he teased his son constantly was something she found downright hysterical.

"Hey Irma," he called from the kitchen. "Shikamaru's up in his room, but he should be down in three, two, one."

Right on cue the shadow ninja appeared at the bottom of the stairs in front of Irma.

"Every time," Irma heard Shikaku say with a laugh.

"You say something dad?" Shikamaru asked.

"Nope not at all" his father replied innocently.

Irma bit back a smirk at the exchange in front of her. 'These guys will never fail to make me smile,' she thought.

"Come on let's go," Shikamaru said turning towards he door.

Irma looked over her should and saw Shikaku looking at his son and made the motion of a whip cracking. The water guardian stifled a laugh and the older Nara gave her the thumbs up.

The couple walked to what Irma liked to think of as their cloud watching hill. They two laid down watching the clouds in comfortable silence as they held hands.

Shikamaru looked at Irma out of the corner of his eye and wondered how a girl like her could have come into his life. He would never willingly admit it to any of his friends, but Irma made him feel more alive than he'd been in years. Ever since Asuma's death he had lost a bit of himself over the guilt, anger, and pain, but with Irma by his side, Shikamaru was starting to feel whole again.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Irma asked teasingly.

Shikamaru was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw his girlfriend smirking at him. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was doing it."

"Don't be sorry. To be honest I kind of like it when you look at me that way. It makes me feel… oh never mind," the water guardian said quickly waving her hand in the air.

"Come on, you troublesome woman, tell me," Shikamaru said with a soft smile.

A tint of pink dusted Irma's cheeks. "Well you see the thing is you're the first boyfriend I've ever had and when you give me those looks I feel special."

"You are special Irma. Never doubt that," Shikamaru said seriously.

Irma immediately leaned over and kissed Shikamaru. When they broke apart she rested her head on his chest and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I have something for you," Shikamaru said reaching into his pocket.

"Shika you didn't have to get me anything," Irma said.

"I didn't buy it. As troublesome as it was I made it," he replied taking a small object and placing it in Irma's hand.

She looked at what it was and her eyes widened. Silver material had been intertwined to make a simple ring.

"You made this for me?" She asked.

"It was a drag, but yeah I did," Shikamaru said. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? Shikamaru I love it! It's beautiful," Irma said slipping the ring onto her finger. "I'll never take it off!"

"I'm glad you like it so much," he said.

"Shikamaru, if it was so much of a drag to make this for me then why did you?" Irma asked.

Shikamaru sat up and looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "I did it because you mean a lot to me and I wanted to show you that."

"You're more of a charmer then you think," Irma said with a blush.

"And you are being a little biased don't you think troublesome?" He asked with a smirk.

"What makes you say that?"

"Irma I highly doubt that any of the other girls in the village would call me a charmer."

"Probably because they don't know you," Irma suggested while laying her head against his chest.

Shikamaru smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "That's true. You, Ino, and Chouji are probably the only ones who know everything about me. You may even know me better Chouji does."

"Why is that?" Irma asked.

"Because there isn't anything I wouldn't tell you. I don't want any secrets between us," Shikamaru said, stroking her hair.

Irma's grin immediately faded and her stomach dropped. 'Oh man. He just had to go and say that taboo sentence.'

For the past few days Irma had seriously considered telling Shikamaru about her powers. It was the only thing he didn't know about her and she wanted to share everything with him, but she was scared about how he would react. Not to mention what the rest of W.I.T.C.H. would say when they found out she had told him. If she told him at all that is.

"Irma is something wrong?" Shikamaru asked.

Irma sighed and lifted her head up. "Shikamaru you said you don't any secrets between us right?"

"Yeah."

'Take the plunge Irma. Don't stop now,' she thought. "Well there's something that I need to tell you."

"What is it?" her boyfriend asked.

Irma took a deep breath. "I-"

"IRMA!"

The water guardian clenches her fists inwardly, cursing Ino's ability to interrupt important conversations at the worst possible moments.

"I'm gonna kill her," She muttered darkly.

Shikamaru chuckled and tousled her hair lightly. "You can tell me later troublesome. Let's just find out what she wants."

Ino stomped over to them and placed her hands on her hips and glared at Irma.

"Are you okay?" Irma asked raising an eyebrow.

"Did you forget that you promised to take over my shift today while I was on my mission?" Ino asked.

"Oh crap! Sorry Ino I forgot," Irma apologized.

"Yeah I can see that. Just come on. I'm already late and you need to get to work!" The blonde said grabbing Irma's wrist and dragging her towards the flower shop.

Irma was about to turn to wave goodbye to Shikamaru when Ino jerked on her arm.

"Ino will you stop, I'm coming!" She cried.

"Well you're moving way too slow! You're practically a snail!" Ino replied.

"SHUT UP YOU PIG!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?"

**"YOU HEARD ME PERFECTLY CLEAR!"**

**"WHY YOU LITTLE-YOU ARE SO GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!"**

**"BRING IT ON BLONDIE!"**

Shikamaru shook his head. 'What a drag. Those two are going to kill each other.'

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Well I hope you guys enjoyed it. I personally can't wait to write about Neji, Lee, Taranee, and Cornelia's mission. So expect that chapter soon. R AND R MY FRIENDS!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Anyone who knew Shino well knew that he was extremely observant. This helped the bug ninja to see things that other people would miss. In this case he'd been observing Elyon and Kiba's relationship with each other.

"What do you think about Elyon Shino?" Hinata asked him one day during training as they watched Elyon and Kiba spar.

"I think she needs to tell Kiba how she feels," he responded.

"How she feels?" The Hyuuga heiress asked confused.

"I've been watching them for a while now and it's clear to me that they both care about each other."

Hinata nodded. "I've noticed that too. They would make a cute couple."

Kiba smirked as he watched Elyon lunge at him. He was starting to get very fond of his partner. She may not have such unearthly beauty that it made her look like a goddess, but she was beautiful with her soft gently features. Not to mention the fact that she loved animals and adored Akamaru to death. That definitely earned Elyon some points in her favor in Kiba's book.

He was snapped out of admiring Elyon when she slashed at him with a kunai leaving a shallow cut on his face.

"Okay you're so going down!" He cried.

"You're the one that zooned out," Elyon laughed.

Kiba scowled, which only made Elyon's grin wider. The two sparred together long and hard before they were ready to almost collapse. Kiba had made it out with a few little scratched and bruises, but Elyon had a few shallow cuts and bigger bruises.

"Sorry about those cuts," Kiba apologized.

"Don't worry about it," she replied trying to catch her breath.

"Still you should probably get them taken care of before they get infected," he said taking her hand and leading her away from the training area. "Come on, I'll have Hana take a look at them."

"Who's Hana?" The queen asked.

"She's my older sister," Kiba replied.

When they reached the Inuzuka home they found Hana looking over one of the dogs.

"Hey sis!" Kiba greeted loudly.

When Hana saw Elyon she raised an eyebrow and smiled rather knowingly. "So you must be the Famous Elyon."

"Why am I famous?" Elyon asked.

"Because Kiba over here never stops talking about you," Hana laughed.

Kiba flushed. "Hana! Stop exaggerating I do not talk about her that much"

"Whatever kid," his sister replied. "So why did you bring her here?"

"She just has some cuts I want you to look at."

Hana gave her brother an exasperated look. "You've been too hard on her if she has cuts you need me to look at. Besides I'm a vet. I heal animals, not people."

"They aren't that bad sis. I just need you to put some stuff on them and then she can go," Kiba replied.

"If I'm being too much trouble I can go and take care of them myself," Elyon said.

"Alright let me have a look," Hana said walking over to Elyon.

The older Inuzuka examined the cuts on queen's face and arms, before getting an almost liquid kind of gel and rubbing a bit over each of the cuts.

"This should help them heal faster. In the meantime, Kiba, don't get so rough when you're training with her again," Hana ordered before going back to her animal patient.

Kiba scowled and led Elyon out of the room "Hana can be such a pain in the neck sometimes," he muttered.

His friend smiled as she sat down on the couch. Akamaru hopped up next to her and rested his head in Elyon's lap. Kiba watched as she gently stroked the dog's white fur.

"You have a way with animals," he said as he stood in front of her.

"I always wanted a dog when I was younger, but my parents never let me get one," Elyon explained.

'Alright time to make my move,' Kiba thought. 'She's about to fall for my irresistible charms.'

With that thought the dog ninja placed his over Elyon's. She looked at him mild surprise on her face. Kiba only smiled at her.

"So what do you think of all our friends hooking up?" He asked.

"It's a little weird, but I'm happy for each of them," she replied.

"Yeah I never thought I'd see Naruto and Shikamaru with girlfriends," Kiba laughed.

"It's only a matter of time before Cornelia cracks and she told me that Taranee might be starting to like Lee now" Elyon continued.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "That's just too much drama for me. If I ever found a girl for me I'd just let her know straight up that I like her."

"What is this girl going to be like?" Elyon asked playfully.

He almost smirked. She had walked right into that one. Kiba stroked his chin, acting like he was thinking. "Well she'd have to love dogs of course, but she'd also have to be tough, able to take care of herself, and not be scared to stand up for what she believes is right. She would also need to be brave and kind, someone who can make me smile. Plus she would have to have big blue eyes and blonde hair, usually tied into braids," he added with a tiny smirk.

Elyon froze and her eyes widened, looking at Kiba in shock. 'Is he talking about me?'

Kiba leaned a little closer to her and smirked. "Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night, Miss Elyon?"

The blonde smiled. "Yes I would."

He laughed and sat down next to her. "See no drama whatsoever and we're both happy."

Elyon couldn't help but laugh with who she hoped would become her boyfriend.

* * *

Neji Hyuuga was not happy.

It had been two days since he, Taranee, Cornelia, and Lee had been given their mission and they were ready to leave. He had thought that everything would go nice and smooth like it always had. Then he had found out about Cornelia's part in the mission via an extremely amused Taranee.

Oh yes, Neji was not happy at all.

"Relax already Neji. Cornelia can take care of herself," Taranee assured him in a whisper as they walked out of the village gates.

"I know she can," he replied.

"Well if you're not worried about her safety, then you must be jealous," the fire guardian said, amusement crystal clear on her face.

Neji scowled, his bad mood increasing even more. Taranee had been teasing him mercilessly ever since she told him about Cornelia's seduction mission.

"Why on earth would I be jealous?" he asked.

Taranee couldn't hold it in any longer she had to tell him. "Well Neji you didn't know it until just now, but I saw TenTen the other day," she paused for a minute when she saw her friend tense before continuing. "And she told me about how you have feelings for Cornelia."

"Still I have no reason to be jealous," Neji said stubbornly.

"Of course you don't. I mean all Cornelia is doing is just flirting with someone other than you," Taranee teased. She had to admit that she now understood why Irma was like this. It was so much fun.

Cornelia and Lee were curiously watching as Taranee and Neji had their whispered conversation. They couldn't hear what was being said because the two of them were so quiet.

"Do you think they're talking about the mission?" Cornelia asked.

"That is far more than likely. Taranee has a youthful mind similar to that of Neji's. I am sure that the two of them are discussing more youthful strategies should our current one fail, which I highly doubt," Lee replied.

Despite herself Cornelia smiled at the bushy browed young man beside her. She was getting more and more used to Lee and was starting to view him as a good friend. Her smile faded as she remembered what she had to do for this mission.

'Why me?' she thought. It was a stupid question. Cornelia knew very well why she had been chosen but the prospect of what awaited her was not something she looked forward to.

"You know Cornelia, I believe that my youthful eternal rival Neji is very concerned about your seduction mission," Lee said.

"I can't see why he would be," Cornelia muttered. 'After all he has TenTen,' she thought. "So are you worried about Tara?" She asked Lee.

"I am a little, but I know that Taranee is strong and can protect herself," Lee responded a small goofy smile on his face.

The earth guardian smirked a little bit. "So has there been any improvement on winning Sakura?"

Lee's smile faded. "I actually am not entirely sure about that anymore."

"What do you mean?" Cornelia asked.

"I have always known that Sakura only saw me as a friend, but I hoped that one day things would change. I am starting to believe that friends are all Sakura and I are ever going to be," he replied.

The earth guardian smiled gently. "Take from an expert on love Lee. The girl you're looking for could be right in front of you and you just haven't seen it yet."

Lee nodded slowly and then looked forward at Taranee. 'I believe you may be right Cornelia' he thought with a small smile.

It wasn't long before the four of them were jumping through the trees. Cornelia found the fact that she could jump so high and move so fast without her wings incredible. The earth guardian smiled widely as she moved even faster. She had really begun to love the life of a ninja, the feel of a kunai in her hand, and the excitement of taking on bad guys again. It made her feel exhilarated.

Neji looked back at Cornelia and noticed the huge grin on her face as she jumped from branch it branch. For him it was nice to see her smiling, even if she wasn't smiling at him.

Cornelia saw him looking at her. "Neji, how long should it take us to get to where we're going?"

"If we continue to travel at this speed, we should be there before day's end," he replied.

"Sounds good to me," Taranee called.

"Same here," Lee agreed.

Once again Neji looked back at Cornelia and silently promised himself that if any of those vile men did anything to harm her in anyway, he would personally beat them to a bloody pulp.

"Neji heads up!" Taranee suddenly yelled.

The genius looked in front of him and narrowly avoided ramming straight into a tree. He scowled as Taranee started laughing her head off behind him.

* * *

Meanwhile Will, Irma, and Hay Lin were chilling at their apartment. Will looked over and raised an eyebrow when she realized that Irma was being unusually quiet

"Are you alright Irma?" she asked. "You haven't said much."

"Just thinking guys," Irma replied.

"About what?" Hay Lin asked sitting down with a bowl of instant ramen.

Irma bit her lip before blurting it out. "I've been thinking about telling Shikamaru that I'm a guardian."

At that, Will nearly fell off the couch in surprise and Hay Lin almost chocked on her noodles.

"Are are insane Irma?" Will cried. "You can't tell him."

"And why not?" Irma demanded standing up.

"Because it's against the rules for us to tell anyone about our powers, have you forgotten that?" the redhead asked.

Irma sighed. "I just hate keeping things from him. He's always been so honest with me and I want to be the same way with him."

Hay Lin put a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Irma you also have to consider what he would say if you told him. I don't like keeping it from Naruto either, but its best that we not tell them."

There were a few minutes of awkward silence as the girls just sat there.

"Irma, why do you want to tell Shikamaru so much?" Will asked.

"Well you see I know that we've only been here a few weeks, but I…" Irma trailed off not knowing if she should say it.

Hay Lin realized what she was going to say. "You're falling in love with him aren't you?"

The water guardian nodded her head. Will and Hay Lin looked at each other small smiles on their faces. They knew what Irma was going through because they themselves had strong feelings for Sasuke and Naruto.

The thought of Sasuke made Will turn a little pink. Ever since she accidental broke that vase at his house a few days ago, he had started acting differently around her. He smiled at her more and he would always brush his hand against hers whenever he got the chance. Will wasn't entirely sure why he was acting like that, but she was pretty sure she was going to find out soon.

* * *

By the end of day Team Gai, as Neji predicted, were at the borders of the Mist and Waves. The four of them were currently residing in a hotel where they could go over the mission one more time. Cornelia was getting ready and Neji was extremely tense. Taranee and Lee stood in the far corner of the room and whispered to each other.

"So how long do you think he's going to last when Cornelia goes all flirt mode?" Taranee asked softly.

Lee looked at her, a serious expression on his face. "Neji, my eternal youthful rival, is a superior shinobi with an amazing amount of control." The serious face was replaced with a huge grin. "In other words he will only last ten minutes," he whispered with a chuckle.

"If you two are going to talk about me, I suggest you do it when I am not present," Neji said sharply, glaring at them.

His friends merely rolled their eyes, smirks on their faces. The Hyuuga was about to lash out at them when Lee looked up and smiled widely

"Cornelia you look so incredible youthful tonight" He cried.

"Thanks Lee," Cornelia replied, smiling.

The second Neji's eyes rested on the blonde girl it took everything he had no to gape at her like an idiot. Cornelia looked absolutely stunning. She wore an ankle length blood red dress that tied at the base of her neck and her hair had been swept up into an elegant bun on her head. Neji was relieved when he saw that the dress wasn't revealing at all.

He quickly regained his composure and went over the plan. "Alright so we all know what to do. The rouges will be gathered in the pub a short ways away from here. Cornelia will distract the leader and get rid of him and then the four of us will take out the rest of them."

"Are you sure that it'll be that easy?" Taranee asked.

"They will most likely be intoxicated so it should be fairly simple," he replied.

"And once they see Cornelia it'll be child's play," the fire guardian couldn't help but add.

Neji's fists clenched in anger and Cornelia noticed. 'What's up with him?' she thought.

Taranee and Lee looked at each other and nodded. "Five minutes," the whispered in unison so quietly that neither Neji nor Cornelia heard them.

As they walked out of the hotel Neji placed his hand on Cornelia's shoulder. "I can tell that your nervous so if it makes you feel any safer I'll keep on eye on you with my Byakugan."

Cornelia whirled around to face him anger in her eyes. "No freaking way! I am not going to allow you to watch me!"

The genius narrowed his eyes. "I will only do it to make sure nothing goes wrong and that you're safe."

Taranee wisely choose to not get involved and kept on walking, grabbing Lee who immediatly understood and walked off with her.

"Why would you care about my safety?" Cornelia asked.

"You are my teammate and I keep an eye out for my teammates," Neji replied.

To his surprise Cornelia laughed softly. "I should have known. Of course a teammate is all I am to you," she said quietly.

"Cornelia-" Neji began, but she interupted him.

"For a second I thought that...never mind. Let's just get this mission over with," the earth guardian said turning her back. As she did Neji could have sworn he saw her eyes glistening with what looked like tears.

Cornelia made sure to stay ahead of Neji so he couldn't question her about anything. She didn't know why, but when Neji had reacted as he had to her mission she had thought that maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong about her assumption of him and TenTen. Apparently however he only saw her as a teammate and nothing more.

Taranee read Cornelia's mind and shook her head. 'Oh Cornelia if only you knew,' she thought.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	22. Chapter 22

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: I would like to dedicate this chapter to HinataElyonToph who drew an amazing picture of a scene in this story. Kudos my friend and I hope you enjoy this!**

Chapter 22

When Team Gai walked into the pub it was slightly crowded and filled mostly with men.

"Alright time to figure out which ones are the rouges," Cornelia said.

"Lady Tsunade gave me a description of them and I'd say that's them over there," Neji replied pointing to a medium sized group of men in a corner.

"Which on is the leader?" Lee asked.

"The one in the middle," Neji answered.

"Alright Cornelia you know what to do," Taranee said.

Cornelia eyed the men, fear starting to rise up in her stomach as she did so. She turned her head to Neji. "I change my mind about you watching out for me," she said.

Neji nodded. "Don't worry. If anything happens I'll be there. I won't let those men hurt you Cornelia."

The sincerity of his words made Cornelia smile a little. Now less afraid the blonde walked over to the rouges putting on her best flirt face.

The leader was the first to notice her. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

"Hello I was just passing through and I was wondering if any of you men would be willing to be my escort for a while," Cornelia said with a smile. She turned her eyes to the leader. "Perhaps a strong handsome man such as you would be interested in keeping me company?"

Neji scowled as he watched the leader practically jump from the table to place a beefy hand on Cornelia's slim waist. It sickened him to see her bat her eyelashes at him even though the Hyuuga knew she was acting. The more he watched Cornelia the more Neji realized just how much he cared about her.

'It looks like TenTen was right,' he thought.

Taranee, just like Cornelia, was nervous about being in this kind of setting and may as well have been glued to Lee's side.

"Taranee you do not have to worry. I will not allow anything to happen to you," Lee assured her.

The fire guardian smiled up at Lee. Taranee knew for sure now that she had developed feelings for her partner and loved it whenever he said he would protect her.

The moment was ruined when some drunken men starting whistling at her.

"Hey beautiful why don't you ditch the frog and come hang out with us," one called to Taranee while some of his friends did wolf calls.

Lee frowned and quickly led Taranee away so she wouldn't have to hear any more.

"I am sorry that this had to be your first mission," He said.

"Don't apologize for anything Lee. I'm just glad you're here with me," Taranee said with a shy smile.

The green beast smiled at her tenderly before looking away and humming in thought.

"What?" Taranee asked.

"Did I ever tell you how youthful and beautiful you always look?" Lee asked.

The fire guardian blushed. "Well I'm sure I can't compare to Sakura" she said with a fake smile. Oh how she wished she was Sakura at the moment.

Lee nodded. "You are right."

Taranee's heart dropped to her stomach and she looked at the ground her smile completely gone. That is until she heard Lee's next words.

"You are far more youthful then Sakura is."

The dark skinned girl's eyes widened in surprise and her jaw went slack. She had seen Sakura a few times and she had instantly seen why Lee was so infatuated with the pinkette. Taranee knew her friends wouldn't agree with this, but she had always felt second best compared to the rest of them. She didn't have Cornelia's beauty, Irma's spunk, or Will's strength and occasionally felt simply average next to them. To hear her crush say that she was prettier then Sakura was something she had really not anticipated.

"Lee I-" Taranee began, but she was cut off when Neji walked over to them.

"Get ready. Cornelia's almost completed her part so we need to prepare for ours," he said.

Taranee looked and saw Cornelia slowly leading the leader outside where she would finish him off. It was up to her, Neji, and Lee to start a riot so they could dispose of the other rouges without attracting too much attention to themselves.

'Taranee are you ready?' she heard Cornelia's voice say in her head.

'Yeah we're ready. How are you holding up?' she asked.

'I'll be so much better when I don't have to flirt with this guy anymore,' Cornelia replied disgust in her voice.

Taranee smirked and turned to her friends. "Shall we get started?"

"With pleasure," Neji said with a smirk while Lee nodded.

Cornelia continued to smile coyly at the leader as they walked outside. Almost immediately afterwards they heard a large amount of commotion and she fought back a smirk. Neji, Lee, and Taranee had done their job.

"That was excellent timing wouldn't you say?" she asked sweetly.

Cornelia could feel the kunai that was strapped to the back of her leg and she suddenly didn't feel so confident. She had known that he would have to die, but it hadn't really sunk in that she would be the one to kill him. The thought scared her.

"I suggest you stop with the charade," the leader said with a sneer.

"I don't know what you mean," Cornelia replied batting her eyelashes while on the inside she had started to panic.

"Oh I think you do," the leader said with a snicker. "After all you did walk in here with shinobi from the leaf village did you not?"

Now Cornelia was scared. In the blink of an eye she reached down and grabbed the kunai and tried to stab him, but he was faster and grabbed her wrist.

"Not so tough now are you?" he asked with an evil grin. "You thought you were going to kill me tonight huh? Too bad for you it's the other way around."

Meanwhile back inside Neji smirked as he saw Taranee and Lee take down another one of the rouges together. He had to admire Taranee. This was her first mission and she was doing an excellent job. His smirk faded when he realized he had forgotten to check on Cornelia. He activated his Byakugan and the second he saw Cornelia's predicament he whipped around to face Taranee and Lee.

"Cornelia's in trouble. Can you two handle the rest?" he called.

"Sure thing! Go help Cornelia!" Lee cried.

The second the words left his friend's mouth Neji bolted for the door.

"Do you know what we do to brats like you?" The rouge asked tightening his grip on Cornelia's wrist.

The blonde used her telekinesis powers and the kunai flashed from the rouge's hand back into hers. Before he could realize what had just happened, Cornelia slashed at him leaving a gash in his arm and making him let go of her wrist.

"You'll pay for that you little brat!" He cried lunging at her.

"Gentle fist!" Neji yelled as he appeared out of nowhere slamming his fist into the leader's stomach.

After that it wasn't long before the leader had been defeated. Neji turned around to face his partner and to his surprise she flew into his arms.

"Thank you Neji," she whispered obviously shaken up.

"It's alright you're safe now," he said wrapping his arms around her.

In that moment all of Cornelia's worries left her instantly. She felt as if she could stay like this in Neji's arms forever. Then without thinking she lifted her head and kissed him. Neji was caught off guard and before he could respond at all Cornelia realized what she was doing and pulled back.

At that moment Taranee and Lee burst out of the bar panting and Neji and Cornelia separated, the latter silently thanking her friends for saving her from Neji's questioning.

Taranee sighed in relief when she saw her friend was safe. "Cornelia, thank goodness you're okay," she said hugging the blonde.

"Did you guys finish the mission?" Cornelia asked.

"Yes the rouges are dead," Lee said.

"And I finished off the leader," Neji added. "Let's get out of here."

The other three, of course, agreed without hesitation.

* * *

Back in the leaf Will was doing some late night training having been unable to sleep. She threw a few kunai at her targets and grinned when they came just short of the center.

"Keep that up and you'll have perfect aim."

Will grinned and turned to see Sasuke leaning against a tree. "Hey Sasuke," she greeted.

"You know I honestly wasn't expecting to see you here," Sasuke said.

"I couldn't sleep," Will replied with a shrug. "What are you doing here?"

"I come here most nights to train," the Uchiha explained simply.

Will nodded and wiped the sweat from her forehead and sitting down. She was starting to think that all of Sasuke's little gestures were signs that he liked her, but she didn't dare raise her hopes to high.

Sasuke casually walked over and sat down beside her. As he looked at Will out of the corner of his eye he couldn't help, but once again notice just how beautiful she was. Well to him anyway.

Taking a deep breath Will turned her head to look at Sasuke. "Um can I ask you something?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes."

"Well...um..." Will stuttered not entirely sure how she should say this. "Why have you been doing this?"

Sasuke looked at her confused. "Doing what?"

"You smile at me more and you keep brushing your hand against mine and a bunch of other stuff. There has to be a reason," Will said.

"I should think the reason is fairly obvious," Sasuke said.

"Maybe to you, but I don't understand," Will said. "It's not like you have feelings for me or anything right? I mean you can't…" She trailed off when she saw Sasuke looking at her intently.

"Will, I wouldn't have rushed to save you from the bandits, told you about my family, or bring you to my home if I didn't care about you," he said seriously.

The keeper's breath hitched. "You mean…"

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

When Sasuke's words finally sunk in, a huge smile spread across Will's face. With a squeal she threw her arms around his neck kissing him. Sasuke kissed her back immediatly wrapping his arms around her waist.

When they pulled apart, Will smirked. "You can take that as an 'I care about you too.'"

"I know," Sasuke said with a small smile.

Will gave him another quick kiss before laying her head on his chest. 'I can't believe that just happened,' she thought with a grin.

Sasuke just rested his chin lightly on Will's head the smile lingering on his face.

"Sasuke you sly dog" Hay Lin whispered as she and Irma watched from the bushes.

"It's about time though wouldn't you say?" Irma whispered.

Hay Lin smiled. "Come one let's leave before they catch us."

"Do we have to go now?" Irma asked.

"F.Y.I. Sasuke will pulverize us with his Chidori if he sees us," Hay Lin replied casually.

"Let's go," Irma amended quickly as she scurried off while Hay Lin followed after her snickering.

* * *

A few hours later Neji, Cornelia, Lee, and Taranee were on their way back to the leaf. They were stopped for the night and Lee and Taranee had fallen asleep leaving the genius and the earth guardian awake.

"Cornelia what was all of that back there?" Neji asked.

She knew what he was taking about and didn't try to deny it. "Forget that it happened," she said.

"I can't until I get some answers," he replied.

"Like what Neji? What do you want from me?" Cornelia asked in a whisper.

"The truth. I want you to tell me why you've been so angry with me lately and I want to know why you kissed me. Now tell me what is going on?" Neji demanded.

Cornelia clenched her fists angrily. "Forget about that stupid kiss. It shouldn't have happened anyway."

"Why did you do it then?" Neji asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly and I was just grateful to you for helping me," Cornelia replied. It was actually the truth, believe it or not.

The prodigy shook his head. "You are a complicated woman Cornelia. I feel like every time I think I'm getting close to figuring you out, you do something that changes absolutely everything."

"Well I'm sorry that you can't understand me," Cornelia huffed. "You ever think that maybe it's because I have a crazy life? A life that, sometimes, I don't even want. We can't all have wonderful pasts. I mean look at you, you're part of the Hyuuga clan. I'm sure you had a great childhood."

Neji froze and his body instantly tensed up. "You know nothing about me," he said in a low and dangerous voice. "Would a happy childhood include this?"

Without another he reached back and took off his headband revealing the green symbol on his forehead.

"What is that?" Cornelia asked, very surprised.

"It's the curse mark. It's given to all members of the second branch of my family. I received it when I was four years old. I'm forever caged to the Hyuuga clan. My father was as well. Before he sacrificed himself in Lord Hiashi's place."

There was silence as Cornelia absorbed what Neji had just told her. He just tied his headband back into place and glared at the fire in front of him. The earth guardian didn't know what she could say, but she really felt like an idiot right then.

"You should get some sleep," Neji said finally though he wouldn't look at her. "We have a long way to go tomorrow."

Cornelia nodded and silently lay down on the ground. "Neji, I'm sorry," she said quitely.

Neji gave her a small nod to indicate that he'd heard her, but other than that he kept looking away from her. With a sigh Cornelia rolled over so her back was facing him. 'Great now he probably hates me for this,' she thought. 'Why do I keep messing things up?'

Neither she or Neji noticed an odd looking bush nearby suddenly dissappear.

* * *

"That was the earth guardian all right," Kisame said a while later.

"Just as Miss Nerissa described her," Zetsu said with a nod. "It shouldn't be too hard to defeat her or the fire guardian."

Kisame frowned. "If they're training with the students of Might Gai it'll be harder then you think, Zetsu."

"We'll just have to wait and see," His companion replied.

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Too bad for Cornelia. At least Will and Sasuke are happy. :) R AND R PLZ!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**"ARE YOU SERIOUS!"** Irma and Ino yelled in unison the next day.

Elyon slapped her forehead. "You guys don't have to scream."

"Elyon you have no idea how big this news is," Ino said. "I can't believe that Kiba Inuzuka asked you out!"

The three girls were talking in Ino's flower shop and Elyon had just told them about her date with Kiba.

"Okay spill the beans, El. When, were, and how did he ask you out?" Irma asked.

"Do you want me to answer in that order?" Elyon asked. When she received a nod she continued. "Yesterday, at his house, he told me-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. You went to his house?" Ino interrupted.

The queen shrugged. "Yeah he took me to his house because I had a few cuts and he wanted his sister to take a look at them. What's wrong with that?"

Ino shook her head. "Nothing's wrong with it, but you're the first outsider that Kiba has ever let into his house. Not even Hinata and Shino have been there."

"Ignore the pig and keep talking," Irma said, impatient for details. She was practically drooling.

"Kiba asked me what I thought of all our friends getting together and he mentioned his dream girl I guess you could call it," Elyon explained.

"And?" Ino and Irma asked leaning forward, their eyes wide.

Elyon blushed. "I asked him what this girl would be like and he described me. That's when he asked me out."

"That is so sweet!" Ino gushed.

Irma smirked at her friend. "Look like you got a good one Ellie. Don't let him go even if it kills you!"

The bell to the shop rang as TenTen walked in. "Hey I was hoping you guys would be here."

"Why, what's up?" Elyon asked.

"Neji, Lee, Cornelia, and Taranee just got back and Neji and Cornelia didn't look very happy," the weapons mistress explained.

Elyon groaned, slumping her shoulders, and Irma slapped her forehead.

"Those two have a lot of issues," Ino said putting a pot on the shelf behind her.

"I know. That's why I need your help," TenTen said.

Irma raised an eyebrow. "You want us to help get Neji and Corny together?"

TenTen nodded. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"So you're not dating Neji?" Elyon asked.

"Heck no! He's like my brother. I would never date him," TenTen said looking at the queen like she had an extra head. "Why would you think that?"

"Oh that clears everything," Irma said with a smirk.

"Clears what?" Ino asked just as confused as TenTen.

"TenTen the reason Cornelia hasn't told Neji and why she's been so grumpy is because she thinks you and Neji are together," Elyon explained.

TenTen was silent for a few seconds before she threw back her head and burst out laughing. "That's what all the fuss was about?" She asked between giggles.

"Yep," Irma and Elyon said.

Ino whistled. "Take about a misunderstanding."

After TenTen calmed down she gave Elyon and Irma a smile. "Thanks for explaining guys. I think I can handle things on my own now."

"Have fun and we will expect the details later," Irma said.

"Sure thing," TenTen said walking out the door.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke were waiting for Will and Hay Lin to show up for training and Naruto noticed that his friend looked happier than usual.

"What's up?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"You're happy and to be honest it's kind of scaring me," Naruto answered.

In response Sasuke punched him on the head. "Not amusing you looser."

"You two will never stop fighting will you?" Hay Lin asked as she and Will appeared.

Sasuke smiled at Will who smiled back before giving him a small kiss.

Naruto's mouth formed an 'O' in understanding. "Oooohh," he said slowly. "I get it now."

"What?" Will asked confused.

"Sasuke's been really happy today and now I know why," he said. "So when did this happen."

"Last night," Sasuke said.

Hay Lin walked over to Naruto and kissed him lightly. "Miss me?"

"Heck yeah I missed you believe it!" Naruto cried hugging her.

"Hey guys for training today why don't we switch partners for a while?" Will asked.

Hay Lin and Naruto frowned and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's not asking you two to break up."

"Alright whatever," the blonde said with shrug.

As Will sparred with Naruto she began to get distracted when she noticed the similarities between Sasuke and Hay Lin. Will snapped out of it, when Naruto landed a kick to her gut.

"Sheesh Will I know you and Sasuke are an item now, but you don't have to drool at him when you're training," Naruto laughed as he sent a kick at her.

Will ducked and tried to knock him down. "I wasn't drooling Naruto. I just noticed that he and Hay Lin look alike."

Naruto immediately looked at the two dark haired ninjas. "Well how 'bout that. You're right."

Will took this opportunity to punch Naruto on the head. "Payback for the kick," she said.

'Man she punches as hard as my mom,' Naruto thought, as he remembered the first time he had met his mother. 'Now that I think about it Will looks a bit like my mom. That's so weird,' he thought as he continued sparring with Will.

* * *

Meanwhile Cornelia was sitting on a hill trying to calm herself down. She had gotten into another argument with Neji and had stormed off making him even more annoyed, worrying Lee, and irritating Taranee. Cornelia knew she was acting like a brat, but being around Neji just made her upset. She had strong feelings for him and every day she spent with him only made those feelings grow, but that only made things worse between them.

"Hey Cornelia," TenTen greeted walking up behind her.

"Hi TenTen," the blonde replied back with a frown. As much as she wanted to dislike TenTen is was really hard to do so, because the brunette was really friendly and nice to her.

"So I heard you and Neji fighting a few minutes ago," TenTen said.

"So?" the earth guardian asked.

The bun haired girl crossed her arms. "You guys have been doing that a lot recently. You two looked like you were getting along just fine a little while ago. Why the sudden change?"

Cornelia stood up and faced TenTen. "It happened because I met you and I saw how you and Neji were together."

"Why would that make you so irritably?" TenTen asked.

"It doesn't matter. It would only make things worse. Neji hates me enough as it is," Cornelia said angry tears misting her vision.

TenTen shook her head. "He doesn't hate you."

"Yes he does. I know he does," Cornelia cried, the tears leaking out of her eyes. "It hurts knowing that I just annoy him and that a teammate is all I'll ever be to him."

The weapons mistress gazed her calmly. "Why would it hurt you?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!" Cornelia yelled as the tears flowed freely down her face. "I can't stand seeing him every day and not being able to tell him how I feel. Neji will never return my feelings anyway because he's with you, TenTen the fabulous weapons mistress."

After her outburst the blonde noticed that TenTen was completely calm and didn't even seem fazed. She became even more confused when the brunette smirked.

"Cornelia, I'm not dating Neji," she said.

"Wait…what?" Cornelia asked incredulously.

"That's right," TenTen said her grin increasing.

That's when Cornelia felt like the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. Groaning she buried her face in her hands. "You must think I'm a moron," she said to TenTen wiping away her tears.

TenTen smiled kindly. "No I don't. I've suspected for a while now how you feel about Neji and you can relax he doesn't hate you."

"How do you know?" Cornelia asked.

In response to the question and to Cornelia's horror, TenTen pointed over the earth guardian's shoulder. Dreading what she would see Cornelia turned around and her fear was confirmed. Neji was standing right behind her and the look on his face made it clear that he had heard everything.

"I'm just gonna leave you two alone now," TenTen said walking away.

Cornelia bit her lip and looked at Neji nervously as he stared at her.

"Is what you said true?" the prodigy asked.

"Every word I said was the absolute truth," Cornelia replied. "I honestly do love you, Neji,"

"TenTen is right," Neji said coming closer to Cornelia. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you."

"Still I am so sorry about all the trouble that I caused. I'll understand if you don't return my feelings," Cornelia said looking at the ground.

"Who said I didn't return your feelings?" Neji asked.

Cornelia's head snapped up just in time to see Neji's small smile before he leaned in and kissed her. The blonde immediately closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck feeling that she could just die of happiness.

TenTen smiled widely at the sight in front of her. 'Mission accomplished,' she thought happily.

Taranee and Lee were also watching the scene further away and theyw ere both smiling.

"Finally we can actually have some peace and quiet," Taranee said.

"It seems that all of your friends have found someone they can be happy with," Lee said.

Taranee looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "All accept the two of us. I'm sure Sakura will come around Lee."

Lee smiled softly at her. "Sakura is no longer the one that I want to be with."

The fire guardian's head snapped up her eyes wide. "Where are you going with this?"

Lee grinned widely. "I know you advised me against this before, but I need to say it," he said taking both of Taranee's hands in his. "I will never let any harm come to you and I will always protect. Taranee, please be my girlfriend."

About two seconds after he said this, Taranee let out a shriek of happiness while throwing her arms around Lee's neck. "Of course I'll be your girlfriend," she said.

"YES!" Lee cried happily. "She said yes Gai sensei she said yes! I cannot believe-"

His rant was instantly cut off when Taranee pressed her lips to his. She pulled back and grinned at the, for once, totally silent Lee.

"Has anyone ever told you that you sometimes take way too much, Lee?"

* * *

In the Akatsuki hideout Nerissa again went over Madara's plan in her head. She couldn't find anything wrong with it, but she had learned to never underestimate the guardians. They could see through the plan if they made even the tiniest mistake. Madara has assured her though that this would not happen.

"For your sake Madara nothing had better go wrong," Nerissa warned him.

The Uchiha ignored her and continued with what he was doing. "Are you ready Nerissa?"

"Yes," she replied looking in disgust at the sight of the huge mound in front of her.

The two stood side by side as Nerissa held out her hands in front of her and focused on her powers as Madara sent out chakra and did several hands signs.

"Now Nerissa," he ordered.

"Quintessence," Nerissa cried. Instantly lightning shot out of her hands, mixing with Madara's chakra.

Madara grinned and Nerissa grimaced slightly when they saw that they had succeeded.

"I cannot wait much longer Madara. I want the guardians to suffer," Nerissa said. "When we will be ready to start?"

"As a matter of fact we can begin now," Madara replied, his eyes glistening with malice.

* * *

Elyon had never felt so good in her life. She and Kiba were having such a good time on their date. They'd gone out to an early dinner and so far all they'd done was just talk and learn more about each other. Of course Kiba had to do a few little stunts trying to impress Elyon, but most of the attempted stunts had failed which made Elyon laugh hysterically.

"This is the best date I've ever been on," the queen said.

"Good that was my goal," Kiba replied.

"Don't get too cocky Kiba. I don't think your head needs to get any bigger than it already is," Elyon said.

"Whatever. You know you like my cockiness," the dog ninja smirked.

Elyon laughed. "In your dreams you dog."

"So I've seen you with that sketch book of yours a few times. What do you draw?" Kiba asked.

"Nature, animals, and I mostly do sketches of my friends," Elyon said.

Kiba smirked "Do you draw pictures of me?"

"Maybe," Elyon said slyly.

"You'll have to show me your pictures sometime," Kiba said.

Elyon stopped dead. "Absolutely not," She cried.

"Why not?" Kiba asked.

"You're just going to laugh at them," Elyon replied.

"Come on I bet they're great. You showed Hinata some of them and she said they were amazing," Kiba said.

'Thanks a lot Hinata,' Elyon thought sarcastically. Then a thought struck her and she grinned. "Alright Kiba I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening," Kiba said.

"I'll show you the pictures if you tell me something."

"Whatever you want."

Elyon took a breath before continuing. "Ino told me earlier that I'm the first person you've taken to your house or that you've introduced to your sister. Is she right?"

Kiba was silent for a few seconds. "Yeah she is."

"Why have you never let any of your friends meet your family?" Elyon asked.

"The only person I'm close with in my family is Hana. My dad ran off before I was born and probably got himself killed. My mom is gone a lot so it's mostly just me and Hana," Kiba explained.

"Why me though? You've only known me for about a month," Elyon said.

"To be honest I don't even know. You're different then every girl I've met," Kiba said.

Elyon grinned. "Different in a good way or in a bad way?"

"Good, definitely good," Kiba laughed.

"Well Kiba a deal's a deal," Elyon said. She reached into her bag and pulled out her sketch book, handing it to Kiba.

The dog ninja leafed through the pages. "Elyon these are amazing," he said.

The blonde blushed. "Thanks. Cornelia says I have a gift."

"She's right. Did you ever consider doing something with this? I mean these are really, really good," Kiba said still looking at the pictures.

"Actually when I was little I did always dream about becoming a famous artist," Elyon said.

"What happened?" Kiba asked.

"Things changed and the events in my life prevented that dream from ever happening. I'm happy though so I don't mind," Elyon told him.

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "If you had the chance to live that dream would you take it?"

Elyon nodded. "Yeah I think I would."

"You're something else Elyon," Kiba said looking at her in amazement.

"What makes you say that?"

"You just always surprise me. You're not one of those girls who obsess over material things and you certainly know how to handle a fight," Kiba grinned.

"You better believe it," Elyon replied.

"You also make me want to do something," he added.

The queen smiled at him. "What?"

Kiba smiled back. "This."

Elyon knew it had been coming and she closed her eyes as Kiba kissed her. After a few seconds they pulled back and smiled at each other. The dog ninja was about to go for another one when the queen put a hand over his mouth, smirking.

"I'm afraid the girls are expecting me. I have to go now," she said.

Kiba pouted, but nodded anyway.

"Don't look so glum," Elyon said. "I'll see you tomorrow at training and I may have another kiss for you then."

That brightened the dog ninja up and he kissed Elyon on the cheek before walking away. When the blonde got back to her apartment she found her friends all waiting for her and desperate for details.

"Tell us everything," Cornelia said the minute her best friend walked in.

"We had dinner, we walked around the village, and we talked," Elyon said.

"Nothing else?" Will asked.

Elyon blushed. "Well we did kiss."

"Told ya," Irma said to Taranee.

"So we all have boyfriends now," Hay Lin said sitting down next to Elyon.

"Yeah way to go Cornelia. You too Tara," Elyon said winking.

"I am just so happy right now. I can't believe that Neji loves me back," Cornelia swooned.

"Whoa hold on there," Will said. "You love Neji? When did that happen?"

"I guess it just happened. I didn't realize that I loved him until TenTen cornered me today. I guess all the time I spent with him made my feelings grow," Cornelia explained.

"It's hard to believe we've only been for about two months. Feels like we've been here forever," Taranee said.

"You know guys I don't know why, but I feel so at home here in the leaf," Hay Lin said.

"So do I," Irma agreed. "I feel like I could spend the rest of my life here."

When Irma said that, all of them remembered that they wouldn't be staying here. Eventually they would have to go back home.

"Tsunade should find a way for us to get back home soon," Elyon said.

Taranee looked up. "Guys I think Tsunade knows more about us then she's letting on."

"Why do you say that?" Irma asked.

"Because she knew I was a telepath and I never even mentioned that around her," Taranee explained.

"I think she's keeping things from us too," Will said. "I say first thing tomorrow we go and figure out what Tsunade knows."

"I'm with you," Cornelia said.

"So are we," Irma and Taranee said together.

As the conversation went on to different topics, Hay Lin lost interest as she thought about her time in the leaf village. She had really come to love this place and now that she was falling in love with Naruto, the air guardian wasn't sure if she wanted to leave at all.

'The girls would freak if they knew that,' Hay Lin thought to herself. 'I guess I'll just have to deal with whatever happens next.'

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: I do believe this is one of the longest chapter I've written so far. It had to be long to fit everything in thought since the action is going to start in the next chapter. Be prepared my friends because some of what is coming up may shock you. R and R!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

_Hay Lin smiled as she walked through a field of flowers. Looking up she saw Naruto waving at her across the field._

_"Hey beautiful come over here!" He called._

_"I'm coming!" Hay Lin called back with a smile._

_As she ran over to him she suddenly felt herself being grabbed and dragged away from Naruto. Everything around Hay Lin suddenly changed and she found herself in a dark room pinned to the ground. Looking around she saw the she was in the middle of a huge circle with several designs on it._

_"Where am I?" She said, trying to get up._

_"Don't try to fight little one."_

_The voice chilled Hay Lin to the bone and looking up, she a dark figure looming over her. She couldn't see what he looked like except for the one red eye that gleamed in the darkness._

_"Who are you?" Hay Lin asked._

_"Soon it will be all over and your powers will be mine," the man said._

_Hay Lin then felt a jolt inside her body and she felt sluggish and exhausted as energy slipped from her body. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but it getting harder and harder._

* * *

Dark brown eyes snapped open and Hay Lin shot up in her bed, panting. 'What a nightmare,' she thought. 'Who was that man? I've never seen him before in my life. But that eye. It looked like Sasuke's Sharingan. Could this be like the vision I had about Elyon?'

Getting out of bed she walked over to the window and saw that the sun was just starting to rise. Looking down she grinned when she saw Naruto waving at her from the ground. Hay Lin quietly got dressed before practically running out the door and into her boyfriend's arms.

"What are you doing here so early?" She asked.

"I just needed to see you," Naruto replied before kissing her.

"Well I'm glad you came. I needed to see you too," Hay Lin said after they separated.

"So what are we going to do today?" The hyperactive ninja asked.

"The girls and I are actually going to talk to Tsunade first thing," the air guardian said.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Hay Lin bit her lip. "Sorry Naruto, but it's personal. I can't really tell you."

Naruto shrugged. "That's alright. After you're done with grandma Tsunade, we can spend the whole day together."

"What about training?" Hay Lin asked.

"You've been training hard for the past week. I think you deserve a break," Naruto said. "Plus you'll need to save your strength. The chunin exams are about to start."

"The chunin exams? As in the one where all the genin compete to get to the next rank?" Hay Lin asked.

Naruto nodded. "That's the one. I think you would do great in the exams. Plus Temari, Kankuro and Gaara got here last night so there's a good chance we'll see them today."

"Irma will be excited," Hay Lin said, slightly guilty. She still hadn't told Irma about what she uncovered in the sand village and Will was going to lecture her big time if she didn't do it soon.

"As much as I would love to stay out here with you, I should be getting back inside," Hay Lin said.

Naruto grinned slyly. "Alright, but first…"

Without another word he spun Hay Lin around, dipped her, and kissed her deeply. The black haired girl wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. After a few seconds Naruto pulled back a fraction of an inch.

"You are so not going back inside," he said huskily. "I'm keeping you out here with me."

"I'm not going to object to that," Hay Lin said as Naruto brought her back up.

"I could really get used to this," Naruto said softly, placing a kiss on Hay Lin's neck.

Hay Lin sighed happily. "So could I."

Naruto kissed her on the lips softly before burying his face into her dark hair which she had let loose.

"You should really leave your hair loose more often. It's very…sexy," he said.

The air guardian blushed and laid her head on his chest. There were a few seconds of comfortable silence before Naruto spoke up.

"Hay Lin?"

"Yeah Naruto?" she asked.

"I love you," he said.

Hay Lin's eyes widened and her blush deepened. Then she lifted her head and smiled widely.

"I love you too Naruto," she said tracing the whisker marks on his face.

They were about to kiss again when the moment was ruined by a certain red head.

"Hay Lin, get up here!" Will called.

Naruto got a dark look on his face and started cursing Will to Hades. Hay Lin wasn't very happy either, but she let go of Naruto.

"I'll see you later," she said. "We can spend the whole day together just like you wanted."

Naruto nodded and kissed Hay Lin one more time before walking away, most likely to Ichiraku's. Hay Lin went back up to her apartment and shot Will a dirty look.

"What?" Will asked.

"You just ruined the most romantic moment of my entire life!" Hay Lin cried.

Will raised an eyebrow. "Why was it the most romantic moment?"

Hay Lin blushed again. "Naruto told me that he loves me."

The red head's jaw dropped and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head. "What did you say to that?"

"I said I loved him back," Hay Lin said quietly.

"Wow you're in deep aren't ya?" Will asked smiling.

Hay Lin nodded a goofy grin on her face.

"Well come on the other girls are waiting for us. We're having a meeting," Will said.

"Good because I need to tell you guys something," Hay Lin said.

A few minutes later Will, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, and Elyon were listening carefully as Hay Lin described her dream to them.

"Then this man said that he would soon have my powers and I started to feel all sluggish and all my energy was leaving my body," Hay Lin explained.

"And you think it's like the vision you had about Elyon?" Taranee asked.

Hay Lin nodded. "It could be. I've never seen that man before."

"You need to tell this to Tsunade after we get our answers from her," Cornelia said standing up.

"Right let's go," Irma said.

As they walked to the Hokage tower they were stopped briefly, but Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. They talked for a few minutes before the girls left. When they got to the Hokage tower they saw Shizune walking down the stairs.

"Hello girls," Shizune said when she saw them. "What are you doing here so early?"

"We're here to speak with Lady Tsunade," Elyon told her.

"Is something wrong?" The dark haired woman asked.

"We think she's keeping something important from us and we came to find out what it was," Irma explained.

Shizune nodded slowly. "I'll let her know you're here," she said walking ahead of them.

"Shizune said you had something important to talk with me about," Tsunade said a few minutes later as the girls stood in front of her. "I hope it's nothing too serious."

"Tsunade my friends and I have noticed that you know things about our powers that we've never mentioned to anyone and we think you know more about us then you're letting on," Will said.

"Plus you still haven't told Will and I what the deal was about those bandits," Hay Lin added.

The Hokage laced her fingers together in thought. "I see. So you're looking for answers."

"And we're not leaving until we get them," Will said placing her hands on her hips.

Tsunade smirked behind her hands. "You're very stubborn Will. Just like your father."

The red head stared the blonde woman in shock. "You know my father?"

Tsunade nodded. "You girls deserve to know the truth now. The reason I know so much about your powers is because I knew the former guardians, Kadma, Halinor, Cassidy, Nerissa, and Yan Lin."

"You know my grandma?" Hay Lin cried in surprise.

"Yes. Your grandmother and I were very close when we were girls," Tsunade explained.

"How did you even meet them?" Taranee asked.

There was a slight pause as Tsunade hesitated before telling them. "They were born here in the leaf village."

"WHAT?" All six girls yelled.

Tsunade put her hands on her desk. "You wanted answers and I'm just telling you the truth."

Hay Lin's forehead creased with confusion. "Wait a minute. My grandma was born here. Then that means that she's part of a clan right. Do I have family that I don't even know about?"

"Yes you do, but you're not the only one," Tsunade said.

"What do you mean?" Irma asked.

Before Tsunade could say anything they heard a muffled, but loud, boom. The blonde hokage jumped out of her chair and looked out the window.

"What was that?" Elyon asked.

Tsunade held up a hand signaling for them to be quiet. Then she saw what had made the boom.

"SHIZUNE!" She shouted.

"Yes milady?" The assistant said bursting into the room.

"Some of the Akatsuki have invaded the village."

"The what now?" Cornelia said raising an eyebrow.

Tsunade turned the girls panic clear in her eyes. "Girls go with Shizune, she'll get you to a safe place."

"What's going on?" Will demanded.

"It's something that you girls can't get involved with. It's too dangerous," Tsunade said trying to usher them out the door.

"If the village is danger, we're going to help any way we can," Irma said putting her hands on her hips.

"The village isn't what's in danger!" Tsunade shouted.

"Then what is!" Taranee cried frustrated with not knowing what was happening.

Another boom filled the air and Tsunade had no choice but to run out and protect her village and leave the girls with Shizune.

"Girls I know that you want to help, but you need to listen to Tsunade. The other shinobi can handle it," Shizune said.

Hay Lin straightened out a little more. "You mean shinobi like our partners?"

"Well yes," Shizune nodded.

"If Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji are going to be out there then I'll be out there with them!" Irma cried swiftly running past Shizune.

Before the dark haired woman could stop them the rest of the guardians ran out the door to see what they could do to help.

'Ugh Tsunade is going to kill me,' Shizune thought as she ran after then.

* * *

The Konoha Twelve, plus the Sand Siblings, were also on their way to help. Lee had been the first to hear the bombs and he had quickly alerted his friends.

"Shikamaru where's Irma?" Ino asked.

"She's with her friends," he replied. 'I really hope she doesn't get involved in this. If something happens to her-' The shadow ninja shook his head before he could finish the thought. Irma was one of the strongest girls he ever met and he knew she could handle herself. He still couldn't help, but feel that something was going to happen to her. He didn't know what and he really didn't want to find out.

"Neji, Hinata, can you see what it is?" Kiba called to them.

The Hyuuga cousins activated their Byakugans and after a few seconds their eyes widened.

"It can't be," Neji said.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's the Akatsuki," Hinata said. "A few of them are in the village."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "How many are there?"

"Three or four from what I can see," Neji replied. "There might be more though."

"We can handle this for sure," TenTen said with confidence.

When they saw Tsunade she was speaking to the jounin.

"We can't let the Akatsuki find them. Do whatever it takes to apprehend them," she ordered.

The jounin nodded and swiftly took off. The fifteen friends followed them.

* * *

The guardians were running through the village and were horrified to find several of the houses on fire.

"We have to put out these fires," Elyon said.

"I know. Irma, you and Taranee stay here and get rid of these fires. We'll keep going and you guys can catch up with us later," Will ordered.

Irma and Taranee nodded and got to work while the others went ahead.

_'What could be worrying Tsunade so much?_' Taranee asked Irma.

_'The heck if I know,_' Irma replied._ 'Whoever these Akatsuki people are they sure caused a lot of trouble don't you think?'_

Taranee didn't reply and Irma was too busy on putting out the fire to turn around. _'Taranee are you there? Tara, answer me!'_ she cried.

Still getting nothing from her friend, Irma was about to turn around to see if she was alright when someone's hand covered her mouth preventing her from crying out. The water guardian struggled to get out of the person's grip, but it was too strong.

_'Elyon! Guys I need help!_' Irma cried hoping her friends would hear her. Fear ran through her veins like ice when no one answered her.

She would have screamed if she could when the person leapt into the air with her in tow and landed on a large white bird.

'Shikamaru!' She thought, wishing with all her might that he could have been with her.

* * *

Neji gritted his teeth in frustration. He and his friends had been looking all over for the Akatsuki, but they had created so many fires with the bombs that they needed to help the civilians and that made it harder to find them.

'I just hope Cornelia's all right,' he thought, thinking of the blond beauty. Now that Neji knew Cornelia loved him as much as he loved her, he would do anything and everything to protect her.

Suddenly he felt something inside his body and he knew right then that something really bad had happened to Cornelia. He wasn't the only one. Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Lee all got that same feeling and instantly rushed off to find their girlfriends.

'Will please be safe,' Sasuke thought in desperation as he searched for her.

'Why didn't I go and find her first thing,' Shikamaru berated himself. Then something caught his eye and he stopped to see what it was. He froze when he saw the silver ring that he had given Irma on the ground. Picking it up Shikamaru looked around trying to find anything that might tell him where Irma could be. He found nothing.

'No, no, no. Not her. I can't lose her too,' he thought.

* * *

Tsunade was watching from the tower to make sure her shinobi were alright and trying to spot the Akatsuki. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that the bombs had suddenly stopped and that it seemed to have gotten calmer.

'If the bombs have stopped so soon, maybe they've gone,' she thought.

"Lady Tsunade!"

The hokage turned around to see Shizune running toward her a panicked expression on her face.

"Shizune what's wrong? Where are the guardians?" She asked.

"I'm sorry milady they ran out to help and I lost them," Shizune admitted.

"You what?" Tsunade cried. Dread started to swirl in her stomach as she realized that what she feared most could have very well just happened.

"Send Naruto and the others to look for them. They have to be somewhere in the village," the blonde ordered.

"They have already looked everywhere for them Lady Tsunade," Shizune said. "The girls are gone," she gulped and took a deep breath. "And so are the Akatsuki."

Tsunade's hands started shaking. "I see," she said her voice quavering. "The Akatsuki has taken them."

There was several moments of silence before Tsunade cleared her throat. "Shizune, gather all the shinobi in the village and tell them to get ready."

"For what milady?" Shizune asked.

"A battle is coming Shizune. One that could result in many lives lost. I failed to protect the guardians and I neglected to tell them the truth. It's my fault their gone."

"No it isn't Lady Tsunade. You did everything you could," Shizune said trying to make her feel better.

Tsunade turned to face her friend. "The Kazekage and his siblings are here aren't they?"

"Yes they are."

"Please find them and tell them I would like to speak with them. Also send for Naruto and Sasuke. After 17 years of keeping this a secret it's time for the five of them to hear this."

Shizune nodded and walked away.

Tsunade sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. 'Forgive me Yan Lin, my dear friend. I failed to protect your granddaughter and her friends. Now who knows what will happen.'

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: All in all I'm very pleased with the way this turned out. I hope you readers like it. I'm trying to work on writing action, so I hope it's alright. Okay I know that some of you have a lot of questions, such as the ones involving Irma and the Sand Sibs, and they will be answered in the next chapter. R AND R PLZ!**


	25. Chapter 25

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Okay just a few words. First of all now that school has started up again updates may be coming a little slower. Also this chapter is probably one of the most important in the whole freaking story so enjoy!**

Chapter 25

When Will woke up some time later she was surprise to find that she felt comfortable. Moving her hand around, she found that she was on a bed. The keeper sat up rubbing her head trying to stop the headache that was starting to come on.

"I trust you slept well guardian."

Will's head snapped up and she saw a man wearing an orange mask standing in front of her. "Who are you?" She demanded.

"My name is Madara and you are Wilma am I right?" he said.

"I prefer Will, but yes. May I ask how you know me?" the keeper said raising an eyebrow.

"I've heard many things about you and the other guardians," Madara said.

That reminded Will. "Where are my friends?"

Madara held up a hand to calm her down. "Do not worry they are safe. I just went to see if any of them had woken up, but so far you're the only one that has. I must say though I am disappointed. My men should have treated you much more gently then this."

Will's eyes widened when she remembered that the Akatsuki had attacked the leaf and that she had been knocked out along with her friends.

"You're part of the Akatsuki aren't you?" Will shouted leaping to her feet. "You kidnapped me and my friends!"

"Relax my girl. You and your friends are extremely safe here and you have my word that no harm will come to you while you are with us," Madara assured her.

The keeper narrowed her eyes but relaxed from her tense position. "So you don't intend to harm us."

"You are my guest. You will not be kept locked up and my men will bring you food whenever you ask," the Uchiha said.

"Why treat us so well? You did kidnap us after all," Will said crossing her arms.

Madara chuckled. "You're a curious one I see. Do not worry Will. All of your questions will be answered in time. For now though all I ask is that you make yourself comfortable. If you need anything do not hesitate to ask me."

Will hesitated for a few seconds, but nodded her head. "I will. Thank you."

The Akatsuki leader nodded and walked out of the room. He smirked behind his mask. All he had to do was keep up the nice guy charade and he was sure that soon Will would trust him enough that she would believe anything he told her.

* * *

Naruto was dead silent as he, Sasuke, and the Sand Siblings walked to Tsunade's office. He couldn't believe that Hay Lin was gone. What made it worse for him was that Will was gone too as he had started to see her as a sort of sister to him. He knew Sasuke felt the same way he did.

Gaara looked at his friend and felt sympathy for him. He had gotten the hint that Naruto cared deeply for the black haired girl and knew that her kidnapping was taking a toll on the spiky haired blonde.

"Thank you for coming," Tsunade said as they stood in front of her. "I realize that it isn't at the best time."

"May I ask why you sent for us Lady Hokage?" Temari asked.

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed. 'I never thought I would have to tell them this,' she thought.

"Just tell us what you have to say already," Sasuke snapped.

The woman opened her eyes and spoke to the three siblings. "Lord Kazekage, I understand that 17 years ago you had a sister that was taken from her home when she was very young."

"How do you know about that?" Gaara asked.

"I know because…I was there when she was taken," Tsunade admitted.

"What?" Kankuro cried. Gaara shot his brother a look that told him to be quiet.

Tsunade nodded. "I called you hear so I could tell you the truth about your sister."

Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara said nothing as they waited for the Hokage to continue.

"17 years ago when the Shukaku attacked the sand village, my friend Halinor, realized that the girl would not be happy or safe in the sand. So she took the child and brought her to the leaf. At her request I helped her to sneak into the village undetected. It was just after the nine tailed fox had attacked and she and some of her other friends were preparing to leave to somewhere safer. They took the child with them and found a family that would raise her as their own," the blonde woman explained.

"So our sister has been alive all these years?" Temari asked in disbelief.

"Not only that, but you've met her," the hokage said.

"We have?" Kankuro asked.

"You met her a few weeks ago when she came to sand village to rescue two of her friends. Her name is Irma Lair," Tsunade said.

Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were shocked.

"Irma's our sister? I can't believe it," Temari said after several seconds of silence.

"If you needed to tell them that Irma is their sister why did you ask to see Naruto and I?" Sasuke demanded.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him. "Sasuke I know how you must feel, but keep your temper in check. Besides I have something similar to tell you and Naruto."

"And that would be?" Naruto asked.

"Halinor and her friends didn't just take Irma with them. They took another small child that had just been born," Tsunade said.

"Who?" Sasuke asked.

"The second unknown child of the fourth Hokage," Tsunade said.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. I have a brother or sister?"

"Yes Naruto you do. You have a twin sister. You've also met her and got very close with her," Tsunade replied.

"Who is it?" Naruto cried.

"Your sister is Will."

The knuckle head ninja and Sasuke both froze. Will was Naruto's sister?

"How is that even possible?" Sasuke asked.

Tsunade closed her eyes as she explained."When the fox attacked the village just after Will and Naruto had been born, Minato went to Yan Lin, who was a trusted friend of his, and asked her to take his daughter with her. He knew that Will wouldn't be safe, especially if people knew she was his daughter. Minato wanted to send you as well Naruto, but he knew that wouldn't be possible if you had the fox sealed inside of you."

Naruto clenched his eyes shut and his fists were shaking with anger. Not at Tsunade for keeping this from him, but at himself. Will was his sister and he hadn't been able to protect her from the Akatsuki.

By this point Sasuke had a feeling what Tsunade was going to tell him and he was pretty sure who it involved.

"Does me being here have something to do with Hay Lin?" the Uchiha asked.

The blonde woman nodded her head. "Yan Lin, the woman, who took Will, was from the Uchiha clan. She was the mother of Chen and Mikoto."

"She's my grandmother?" Sasuke asked. He kept his face and voice emotionless, but his anxiety and worry were swirling in his stomach.

"Yes. Chen and his wife left with Yan Lin and a year later Hay Lin was born," Tsunade explained.

Sasuke lowered his eyes thinking. "So Hay Lin and I are cousins."

Everyone was quiet as they absorbed what they had just been told. It made the fact that Will, Irma, and Hay Lin were gone even worse.

"I'm sorry that this has been kept from you and I know how you must feel considering the circumstances," the Hokage said.

"Grandma Tsunade, did they know?" Naruto asked softly.

Tsunade's brown eyes softened. "No they had no idea. I was planning on telling them when the Akatsuki attacked."

Sasuke's eyes flashed as a terrifying thought flew through his mind. "Madara knows though doesn't he?"

"Yes Madara knows about everything," Tsunade replied with clenched fists. "That's why they were taken. He wants to use them for his plans of destroying the Leaf and Sand villages. Hay Lin especially. She has the abilities of the Uchiha clan and she will be of the most use to Madara."

Naruto inhaled sharply through clenched teeth. The thought of the girl he loved in the old Uchiha's evil grasp made his blood boil with anger. 'No way am I going to let him use Hay Lin like that!' he thought.

Sasuke was even more worried and angry then his best friend. Will still didn't know the entire truth about him and he was positive that if Madara wanted her on his side he would tell her everything that Sasuke had done.

'Will would think I'm a monster,' he thought his heart constricting with pain.

"We have to get them back!" Kankuro cried.

"We will. I've already sent jounin to try and track where the Akatsuki might have taken them," Tsunade assured them.

"What can we do?" Temari asked.

"Until we get more information there's nothing I can tell you now. Once the jounin report back to me I'll send for you," the hokage said.

In his anger Naruto exploded. "How can you expect us to just sit here and wait when Hay Lin, Will, and Irma are in danger?"

Tsunade stood up and glared at Naruto. "I'm doing everything I can to find them and it won't help if you and the others are risking your lives being reckless. Now please go."

When the five teens had reluctantly left Tsunade sat back down and put her head in her hands. A few seconds later Shizune walked into the room.

"Milady?" She asked.

"What is it Shizune?" Tsunade asked in a tired voice.

"Someone is here to see you," Her assistant said stepping to the side.

When the Hokage saw who it was her eyes widened. "You."

* * *

Yoshino glanced worriedly up to her son's room for what must have been the thousandth time that day.

"Stop looking up there," Shikaku said. "Something tells me he won't come out for a while."

"I've never seen him like this. Not even when Asuma died," Yoshino said sitting down. "I'm worried about Irma too though. I can't even imagine why the Akatsuki would take her and her friends."

When Shikamaru had come home he had an awful look on his face and before he even got up the stairs his mother had seen a few tears leave his eyes. She had tried to ask him what the matter was but he refused to talk to her and his father. It wasn't until Ino and Chouji had come to check on him that the two parents had found out what had happened.

Shikaku sighed. "I'm just as worried as you are about him. He must have really fallen for Irma if he's acting his way."

His wife let out a shaky breath. "He's not the only one in love. I saw Kurenai and Gai earlier and they said that Kiba, Neji, and Lee are taking the girl's kidnapping pretty hard as well."

As Yoshino began to clean up around the house trying to distract herself, Shikaku sat in thought. He had been part of the group of jounin that had been told about the guardians and when he had found out how close Irma and Shikamaru were getting he had been worried that something like this was going to happen.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

Back in the Akatsuki lair, W.I.T.C.H. and Elyon were all gathered in one room as they talked. Will had told them about Madara and what he had said to her.

"Will, do you really believe they mean us no harm? They attacked the Leaf Village and kidnapped us," Cornelia said.

"I agree with Corny," Irma said. "What proof do we have they're telling the truth?"

"Madara hasn't explained why he kidnapped us, but if he did want to hurt us why wouldn't he just kill us instead of bringing us here, making us comfortable, and allowing us to talk and walk around?"

"She's got a point," Taranee and Elyon said in unison.

The keeper crossed her arms. "Look guys all I'm saying is that we should wait and see what they do before we decided whether or not to fight them. We don't even know about them."

"She's right guys," Hay Lin said.

Cornelia, Irma, and Elyon hesitated, but eventually nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright now that that's settled I have to go," Will said making her way to the door.

"Why?" Elyon asked.

"Madara said he wanted to talk with me about something important," the redhead replied.

"Be careful," Cornelia said, concern crystal clear on her face.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Will said closing the door behind her.

When she made it back to her room she found Madara waiting for her.

"I'm glad you talked with your friends. They shouldn't be so edgy," he said.

"They're just cautious, but I can't entirely blame them considering I don't trust you myself," Will said.

"Fair enough," Madara said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Will put her hands on her hips. "So what do you have to tell me?"

"Let me ask you something Will," Madara said. "What do you know about Sasuke Uchiha?"

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Mwahahahaha! How's that for a cliffy. Sorry to leave all you readers in suspense, but I couldn't help it. I'm so sorry for the long wait, but what with school and everything I haven't been able to get on the computer as much. I'll try to get the next one up as quickly as possible. R AND R!**


	26. Chapter 26

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Hey guys! I would like to dedicate this chapter to my friend Applesauce18, who is also a friend of mine at school. She is awesome and this is my belated birthday present to her. Hope you all enjoy it.**

Chapter 26

"I presume my being here is something of a shock to you Tsunade," Nerissa said as she sat before the Hokage's desk. "It has been a long time since we last saw each other after all."

"Over forty years to be exact," Tsunade said. "Yan Lin, Kadma, and Halinor told Jiraya and I that you had been captured and Cassidy had been killed in the same battle."

Nerissa let out a deep breath. "Yes, unfortunately Cassidy perished all those years ago and I was taken prisoner by Madara. I was only just barely able to escape a few months ago after planning it out carefully. It wasn't easy, but I made it out."

"How do you still look the same as you did when we were young?" Tsunade asked in disbelief.

"How do you still look young, my friend?" Nerisa asked with a smile.

Tsunade let out a small chuckle. "Fair point. It's just hard to believe that you're alive and back in the village after so long."

"I can hardly believe it myself," the former keeper said.

"Nerissa so much has changed since you've been gone. The new generation is here now," the blonde woman said.

"The new guardians?" Nerissa asked her brow furrowing. "They've been here? For how long?"

Tsunade nodded her eyes softening at the thought of the girls. "Only a few months, but the Akatsuki kidnapped them yesterday."

It was silent for a few seconds until Nerissa spoke up. "Tsunade you trust me don't you?"

"Of course Nerissa. Why wouldn't I?" Tsunade asked slightly confused.

"Then you must believe me when I tell you that the new generation of guardians are spies for the Akatsuki."

"What?" Tsunade cried jumping to her feet. "They are not spies!"

"Tsunade you must listen to me!" Nerissa insisted. "I few weeks before I escaped, the guardians were found and brought to the Akastuki lair. Madara convinced them to come to village and get close to you and the more powerful shinobi to get information so he could bring the village down. They never truly cared about the leaf and Irma, Will, and Hay Lin know very well about their family lines. I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but it is the truth."

The Hokage fell back into her chair and stared forward a look of shock on her face. "And you're absolutely certain of this Nerissa?"

"I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't."

"Then why would the Akatsuki invade the village to get them?" Tsunade demanded.

"To keep up the ruse. It would be suspicious if they all just disappeared at the same time. The bombs on the leaf were merely a way to get the guardians out without too much trouble," Nerissa explained.

Tsunade put her head in her hands trying to take in what her friend was telling her. She couldn't find anything in Nerissa's story that would prove it was false and that the guardians were the girls Tsunade had thought they were. Then again Nerissa had been one of Tsunade's best friends back when they were younger. Why would she tell Tsunade a lie?

"You believe me don't you?" Nerissa asked.

After a long pause the Hokage looked up. "Even though it's hard to believe, you always told me the truth on everything. Yes I believe you."

* * *

In the Akatsuki lair, Will leaned her head against the wall trying to process what Madara had just told her.

"Alright, let me get this straight. Sasuke deserted the Leaf Village to take revenge on his brother who had killed his entire clan, tried to kill Naruto numerous times, and then tried to destroy the village?" She asked.

"I know it's difficult for you to understand, but that is what happened," Madara said with a nod.

The keeper shook her head in denial. "No. The Sasuke I know would never do anything like that! Besides why would he go back to the village if he tried to destroy it?"

" Naruto stopped him from destroying the Leaf and convinced him to come back," Madara said with a sigh. "Will, Sasuke was never himself with you. In fact he never even cared about you."

Will froze. After several seconds she stood up. "You're lying. Sasuke did care about me."

"I hate for you to hear this, but you need to," Madara said. "Will, the Leaf Village shinobi knew exactly who you are. The Hokage had those brats pretend to get close to you so they could earn your trust. It was just a plan for them to get the guardians powers."

"Why would they need our powers?" Will demanded.

"The Leaf is corrupt and evil Will. They want to destroy the rest of the villages and rule the world. They only wanted to use you and your friends to help them. When they job was done, they planned on killing you," the old Uchiha said.

Will's hands started to shake. "No, that isn't true."

"Oh Will, I know how this must hurt you, but you need to believe me. My men heard about the Leaf's plan and I ordered them to bring you and the other guardians here and to safety. We are devoted to stopping the Leaf in its quest for power. To do that, we need your help. Times are dangerous for people like you and your friends and you must choose carefully who you are going to trust. Will you trust the ones that used you only for power or are you going to trust the ones that saved your lives and are on your side?"

The redhead looked down her feet as her vision started to turn misty. Madara's explanation made things easier for Will to understand now. It explained why Tsunade hadn't seemed too surprised when she found out about them being the guardians and how she knew so much about them. But Sasuke? Will's heart started to beat painfully in her chest as she thought about her moments with him. She had been so sure her relationship with him had been real. Had it all really just been a lie? Thoughts of Naruto, the boy she had started to think of as a brother, also ran through her mind and tears started to slip down her cheeks.

Behind his mask Madara smirked at the sight of the crying girl in front of him. "Will, I know this is a lot to take in, but I need your answer. Do you believe what I just told you? Are you with me?"

After a few seconds, Will looked up at Madara, tears still on her face. "I don't know. I need time to think about all this."

The old Uchiha frowned slightly, but nodded. "I understand. I'll leave you to make up your mind," he said walking out the door.

* * *

In his training ground, Naruto was beating a tree to a pulp as he took out all his anger.

'How could I not have noticed it sooner?' he thought. 'Will looks almost exactly like my mom and we both have similar personalities. Who the heck could I have missed it?'

"If you keep punching that tree, your hands will get beaten to a pulp too," Kiba said as he and Akamaru walked up.

"What do you want Kiba?" Naruto growled.

"Came to see how you were doing. I saw Kankuro just a few minutes ago and he told me everything about Will being your sister," Kiba explained.

The blond clenched his fists. "Will and Hay Lin were just kidnapped, how do you think I'm doing?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "I know how you feel. I'm worried about Elyon. What I don't get is why the Akatsuki would kidnap the girls. It doesn't make much sense."

"What does not make sense?" Lee asked suddenly appearing beside Naruto.

"Why the Akatsuki would take Will, Taranee, Hay-" Kiba stopped talking when he saw the look on Lee's face knowing he'd made a mistake by mentioning Taranee.

**"TARANEE!"** Lee wailed, tears pouring down his face.** "I FAILED YOU! FORGIVE ME MY BEAUTIFUL FLOWER!"**

Naruto and Kiba both sweat dropped as they looked at the sobbing Green Beast. All the shinobi were depressed, but Lee was taking it to the extreme.

"Uh, I'm sure Taranee can take care of herself Lee," Kiba said, hoping to calm him down.

"I just cannot stand the thought of someone as youthful and beautiful as Taranee being stuck in the most un-youthful situation possible!" Lee cried. "I wish I could do something!"

Naruto's eyes flashed in anger. "I don't know about the rest of you fellas, but I'm not gonna let Grandma Tsunade keep me in the village when Hay Lin and Will are in danger. I'm going after them."

Before Lee or Kiba could say anything, Naruto speed off, determined to get the girls back.

"Naruto hold on!" Kiba yelled as he, Akamaru, and Lee ran up behind him. "I'm not going to let you save the girls on your own. Akamaru, Lee, and I are coming with you."

"Yes! Do not worry Taranee. I am coming for you!" Lee shouted bursting ahead of Kiba and Naruto.

None of the boys realized that Nerissa was standing a close distance nearby and had heard everything.

"Perfect," she said with a wicked smile.

* * *

"No, no, no, no, no! It's not true!" Hay Lin said shaking her head, almost violently.

"You don't actually believe that Madara said is true do you, Will?" Elyon asked.

"It does explain some things, like how Tsunade knew about us," Will replied. She had just told her friends what Madara had told her and each of them had had a different reaction. Irma and Cornelia looked like they were in shock, Elyon looked angry, Taranee looked like she was going to go into shock and Hay Lin looked like she was about to cry.

"Naruto would never do anything like that," the air guardian whispered.

Will sat down next to Hay Lin and put an arm around her. "I'm not saying it's the truth, but Madara said that they never cared about us and just wanted our powers."

"It can't be true," Hay Lin said. "Naruto said that he loved me."

"Guys, you're totally missing my point. I don't know if Madara was telling the truth or not and I'm upset about this too in case you haven't noticed!" Will cried angrily.

"I say Madara's lying," Cornelia said with narrowed eyes.

Will sighed in frustration. "I don't know what to tell you guys. I have no way of knowing if what he says is true or not."

"Why can't we just leave?" Irma asked.

Taranee snorted. "Something tells me that the guy who kidnapped us isn't going to let us leave."

"What about teleporting?" Hay Lin asked.

Will crossed her arms as she thought about it. "I'm not so good at teleporting, but if you guys want I'll try and teleport back to the leaf. Irma, Cornelia, you guys can come with me. I don't want all of us depending on my horrible aim."

Irma and Cornelia jumped up, eager to get everything sorted out and while Hay Lin, Taranee, and Elyon frowned they didn't object to Will's decision.

"We'll be back soon," Will said as she concentrated. After a few seconds a green zap appeared out of the thin air and Will, Irma, and Cornelia disappeared.

"I really hope they find out everything," Taranee said.

Miles away Will, Irma, and Cornelia re-appeared in a forest area not far away from the leaf village.

"Okay this is definitely not Tsunade's office," Will said, rubbing the back of her head.

"I remember this place. It's not too far from the village," Irma said.

"Look it's better than nothing," Cornelia said. "I need to see Neji so let's get going."

With that the blonde jumped into a tree and started on her way toward the village with Irma and Will following after her.

Meanwhile, Lee, Kiba, and Naruto were running through the exact some forest in the opposite direction.

'If anything's happened to Hay Lin, I will personally see to it that Madara is killed,' Naruto thought.

Beside Kiba, Akamaru lifted his head and sniffed the air before stopping. His master noticed and stopped to see if his dog was alright.

"What is it Akamaru?" He asked as Lee and Naruto joined him.

The dog sniffed again before growling in a certain direction. The boys jumped up ready to attack, but were surprised to see a dark haired woman standing in front of them.

"You three must be Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee, and Naruto Uzumaki am I right?" she asked.

"Yeah and who the heck are you?" Naruto demanded.

"My name is Nerissa," the woman replied.

A few feet away Will, Irma, and Cornelia overheard the noise and stopped running.

"Let's check this out. It could be someone from the village," Will said quietly.

Cornelia and Irma nodded and three girls jumped into a tree covered with leaves so they were well hidden and their eyes widened in surprise when they saw their arch nemesis standing in front of Kiba, Naruto, and Lee.

"What is she doing here?" Irma asked in disbelief.

Will held up a hand to stop Irma from talking and waited to see what would happen.

"May I ask how you know us?" Lee asked Nerissa.

"I am a friend of Tsunade's," Nerissa explained. "I followed you because she wants to speak with you. It concerns Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Elyon."

"Do we have a choice?" Kiba asked.

"No," the former keeper said narrowing her eyes.

Naruto, Kiba, and Lee looked at each other, and although they really didn't want to, they started back to the village with Nerissa.

In the tree Irma, Cornelia, and Will felt as if a ten ton weight had been placed on their chests as they watched the boys and Nerissa leave.

"Let's get out of here," Will whispered, taking off.

She didn't look behind her, but she knew Irma and Cornelia had followed her. When they got a good distance away, the earth guardian collapsed on her knees.

"I can't believe it," she whispered. "Nerissa is friends with Tsunade?"

"And apparently she's known we were here this whole time," Irma said tears flooding her eyes. "It looks like Madara wasn't lying after all."

Will didn't cry as she took in the situation. Instead she turned to her friends. "I'm going to teleport us back to where the Akatsuki are. I know what the guardians need to do now."

A few minutes later she was walked through the Akatsuki lair looking for Madara. It didn't take her too long to find him.

"Ah Will. I hope you and the other guardians have come to a decision," he said as she approached him.

"We have," Will answered nodding her head.

"And?" the masked Uchiha asked.

There was nothing but anger in Will's eyes as she gave her answer. "We will help you and the rest of the Akatsuki destroy the Leaf Village."

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: How's that for a dramatic chapter? The thing is the drama will keep on coming. Read and review my friends!**


	27. Chapter 27

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Okay everyone before the chapter starts, I would like to say that I have found my muse. She goes to my school and I talk to her everyday and I have epiphanies about my story while I talk to her. She is Applesauce18 so everyone go and thank her for giving me inspiration. Seriously go and thank her. Or go and review her story (she would appreciate that.)**

Chapter 27

Shikamaru sluggishly made his way down the stairs to the kitchen where his parents were waiting. This was the first time he'd come out of his room since Irma was taken two days ago

"Hey Shikamaru," his father greeted him as Yoshino gave him a smile. It didn't take a genius like Shikamaru to figure out that they were trying not to set him off by saying anything about Irma.

"Hey," the boy muttered, sitting down and looking at his feet.

A look of concern appeared on Yoshino's face as she observed her son. It hurt her to see him depressed. She opened her mouth to speak but a knock on the door stopped her from doing so. Yoshino looked in the direction of the door, then at Shikamaru, then back to the door debating about what she should do. Shikaku walked over and put a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"I'll talk to him," he mouthed silently. Yoshino nodded and went to the answer the door as Shikaku went back and sat down across from Shikamaru.

"You wanna talk Shikamaru?" he asked.

The teenager lazily brought his head up and stared evenly at his father. "You're going to talk no matter what I think, so it's pointless in asking."

"Do you think Irma's alright?"

Shikamaru tensed slight at her name and after a few seconds he gave his answer. "Irma's the strongest women I've ever known. I have no doubt in my mind that she'll be alright."

"Then why are you so down?" Shikaku asked.

His son shook his head, thinking. "I just have this feeling that… something isn't right."

At that moment Yoshino walked back. "Shikamaru, the Hokage wants to see you. You need to leave now."

He nodded and walked out the door.

"WHAT?" Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke, and Ino all shouted at the top of their lungs, 15 minutes later.

All of the Konoha Twelve had been called into Tsunade's office and she had told them what Nerissa had told her about the girls.

"Are you sure about that Lady Hokage?" Neji asked, obviously having a hard time believing what he had just heard.

"I'm one hundred percent positive," Tsunade replied, looking at them solemnly. "Nerissa was a captive of the Akatsuki and she's sure about it as well."

"How do you know she can be trusted?" Chouji asked.

"We grew up together. She's one of my closest friends," Tsunade explained.

Naruto's fists shook with suppressed emotion. "So everything with Hay Lin…it was just a lie?"

The blond woman's eyes softened at her favorite shinobi. "I'm so sorry Naruto."

"I know that this must hurt all of you," Nerissa said, "but you need to accept the fact that all of you were nothing more than pawns in the girl's plan."

Sasuke involuntarily gave a sharp intake of breath at that. That fact that Will had betrayed him was something he wasn't prepared to deal with, or had ever even thought possible at all.

Lee suddenly burst out sobbing. **"TARANEE! WHY?" **He wailed as waterfalls of tears poured out of his eyes. For once, no one seemed annoyed with his overemotional outburst.

The ex-guardian inwardly scowled in disgust at the bowel haired boy, as well as his friends. 'To think I thought that making them believe me might have been difficult. They're pitiful excuses for ninja.'

"Grandma, Will and Hay Lin, did they know?" Naruto asked suddenly. Sasuke knew very well what his friend was talking about and waited for an answer.

Tsunade sighed. "As it turns out Will and Hay Lin knew the truth the whole time." She winced as pain briefly flashed in both Naruto and Sasuke's faces.

TenTen stepped forward, still a little weary of the situation. "So what are we going to do about this?" she asked.

The Hokage's eyes turned hard and she sat up straight in her chair. "Nerissa has informed me that the Akatsuki are planning to attack the village. She doesn't know when exactly but it will be soon. When they attack, the girls will be with them. We will have no choice but to kill them."

Simultaneously, looks of both shock and outrage appeared on each of the ninja's faces.

"You're planning on killing them?" Kiba cried. "You can't be serious!" Akamaru agreed with his master, letting out an angry bark.

Tsunade stood up, placing her hands on her desk. "I'm just as upset as each of you are and don't think for one second that I would do this if I had another choice. I don't though, and it's my duty to protect the village at all costs. Which mean that they have to be killed."

Ino looked over at Shikamaru and realized that he hadn't said a word the whole time he had been here. She looked at him more closely and recognized the look on his face. It was the look he got when something didn't make sense to him.

'I'll have to ask him about it later," Ino thought, knowing that it had to have something to do with Irma.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Akatsuki lair, Will stood with Madara as he discussed his invasion plan with her.

"After me and my men launch the surprise attack you and the other guardians are to use your powers to take out the more powerful ninja, such as Tsunade and, of course, Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto and their friends."

Will eyed the masked Uchiha. "Take out? As in we have to…kill them?"

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" he asked.

"It's just that the guardians have never killed anybody before. Cornelia tried to once for a mission, but it didn't exactly go as planned," the keeper explained.

"I understand," Madara said with a nod. "I just thought you and your friends would want to get revenge on the ones that used and betrayed you."

The redhead clenched her fists, her chest swelling with anger. "Of course we do!"

The ancient Uchiha smirked. "Good and I must say that your new look suits you."

On reflex, Will looked down at the black and red Akatsuki robe she now wore. Madara had given it to her shortly after she agreed to fight with him. The other guardians all wore one as well, except for Hay Lin. The keeper's forehead furrowed as she thought of the air guardian. Hay Lin still wasn't convinced of Naruto's betrayal, no matter what Will or the others said.

"I'll be back soon," Will said standing up. "I'm going to tell the other guardians the plan."

As soon as she was gone, Kisame appeared behind Madara. "Why do you only talk to her and not the other guardians?" he asked.

Madara frowned slightly. "Because the fire guardian and the queenlet are telepathic and could read my mind and the air guardian can foresee things that will happen. She might have seen something about me. I don't need the three of them getting in the way of my plan. Besides they listen to Will and believe what she tells them."

Kisame looked questioningly at his leader. "I thought you wanted the air guardian specifically because of her family line."

"Just because she has Uchiha blood and the clan's abilities doesn't mean she has to know about it. I only need her powers to help me with the final stage in my plan, using the new jutsu Nerissa and I developed. The other guardians will have lived up to their own uses at that point and you and the others are to dispose of them," the ancient man said.

The shark like man nodded in understanding and walked away to find something to destroy with his sword or someone to boss around.

* * *

Hay Lin sat on her bed, her chin propped up by her hands, thinking about the events of the past few days. So much had happened and, for her, it was almost too much to handle.

'I wish I could tell the others,' she thought, knowing that she couldn't for their safety.

A knock on the door made Hay Lin jump slightly but she relaxed when she felt the familiar chakra.

"Hey Hay. How are you?" Irma asked coming into her room.

"Not so good," the air guardian sighed.

Her best friend sat down next to her. "Yeah none of us are doing too well," she muttered.

Hay Lin looked at the water guardian. "Irma, how are you doing?"

A few tears started to form the brunette's eyes. "I just can't believe that Shikamaru never loved me when I was so in love with him. I feel like such an idiot."

The dark haired girl bit her lip before speaking. "Irma this may not be the best time, but you need to hear this."

"Hear what?" Irma asked wiping the tears off her face.

"It's about Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro."

* * *

Back in the leaf Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji were currently sitting in the Yamanaka flower shop. Aside from Chouji chomping on his chips and Ino rearranging the flower pots it was dead silent. For a while anyway.

"Shikamaru you okay?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah you've been even quieter than usual today and it's making me a little nervous," Chouji agreed.

The pineapple haired teen shook his head. "I have this feeling that what Tsunade told us about Irma isn't the truth."

His friends exchanged glances before looking back at him.

"I know it's gotta be hurting you buddy, it's hurting us too," Chouji said. "but we can only rely on what Lady Tsunade tells us and-"

"That isn't Irma though," Shikamaru said, his voice holding suppressed anger at the situation. "I know who she is and she's not a traitor."

"Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Kiba don't seem to agree with that about the other girls," Ino stated. "How do you know?"

"There's something in my gut telling me not to believe any of this. If I've learned anything it's to always trust my instincts. Ino, Chouji, I'm asking you guys to trust me on this," The young genius said.

His friends didn't hesitate to give him reassuring nods. When Shikamaru got like this, he was usually right.

"We're with you Shikamaru," the chubby young man said chomping on some more chips.

"We need to find some evidence that can counter what Tsunade told us," Ino said.

"I don't think It's Tsunade that we have to worry about," Shikamaru said. "I'd say Nerissa's the one we have to keep our eyes on. I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but she was sending off some bad vibes earlier."

The purple loving girl shook her head. "The 'who' doesn't really matter Shikamaru. What does is that Irma is with the Akatsuki and they're planning to attack the Leaf. What if something happens to her?"

The cloud watcher narrowed his eyes. "If anything happens to Irma, then there will be serious hell to pay."

* * *

"You have got to kidding me!" Irma cried. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know. You could have been taken through the veil when you were a baby," Hay Lin said.

"Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are my siblings?" the water queen said softly. "Are you sure about that Hay Lin?"

Her friend sighed. "I'm not 100% percent sure, but I'd say the odds are pretty good. Will's pretty sure about it too."

Irma's eyes flashed with anger. "Will knew about this too? Why did you wait till now to tell me all this?"

"Because I knew you would freak," Hay Lin said trying to calm her friend down.

"And you thought it would be better to tell me right now!" The girl shrieked.

The air guardian rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Maybe I should have waited till after the battle," she muttered.

"What was that?" Irma asked, not having heard Hay Lin clearly.

"Nothing Irma. Look I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but trust me it's better that you know this before the attack," Hay Lin said.

Irma gave her a confused look. "Why?"

Hay Lin's bit her lip before speaking. "I wish I could tell you Irma, but I can't. Now right now."

The water guardian looked ready to make a retort, but before she could Will walked in.

"Hey guys. Madara filled me in the on the plan," the red head said.

"And?" Both brunettes asked anxiously.

"Madara wants the guardians to kill our former partners and the higher ups of Konoha," Will said.

Hay Lin nearly fell over and Irma's eyes widened.

"Are you sure we can handle that?" The air guardian asked.

The keeper smiled a little. "Don't worry I came up with a plan. We would all just switch it up. For example I'll take down Neji, while Cornelia takes down Sasuke."

Hay Lin was pretty sure that Irma had heard the slight catch in Will's voice as well as she had.

"Anything else?" She asked.

"He just said that you two, Cornelia, Taranee, and Elyon will come with his men after he and I have already left. We're going to make sure nothing unexpected will happen," Will explained.

"Why does he only want you to come with him?" Irma asked.

"I guess it's because I'm the leader and he trusts my judgment," the redhead replies shrugging her shoulders. "I need to go fill in C, Tara, and Elyon. I'll see you guys later."

After Will was gone, Hay Lin gulped a little nervously. 'I hope they get here in time,' she thought.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	28. Chapter 28

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Yo, what's up guys. So sorry about the long wait, but I've been busy with homework after school stuff, writer's block and the occasional laziness. But I'm back and ready to rock, so enjoy the newest chapter!**

Chapter 28

Yan Lin put a hand to head trying to stop the headache that was coming on. She had always feared that this day would come. When Yan Lin had figured out that her granddaughter and the other guardians had left behind astral drops she had come to the conclusion that something had happened and that they would be back soon. After a few hours she had gotten worried and had folded to Meridian in hopes of finding them there. To her horror she had learned that the guardians and Elyon had been transported through the talisman she had thought was safely hidden.

"Yan Lin, are you alright?" Kadma said, shaking the former air guardian out of her reminiscing.

"I'm worried about the guardians," Yan Lin answered truthfully.

She, Kadma, Halinor, and Cassidy were currently in Meridian making sure everything was ready for the planned invasion.

Cassidy tossed her hair over her shoulder. "If Madara thinks he can use them for his own purposes, then he's as stupid as he was when we were in the leaf."

Halinor frowned. "You're forgetting that he has gotten stronger over the years Cassidy and we have little to no power left. It will be harder for us to face him this time."

"Yeah but once the girls see that Madara is the evil on we'll have no problem taking him down," Cassidy said with a smirk.

Yan Lin smiled a little. Cassidy was so much like Irma when it came to being cocky. She only hoped that that over-confidence wouldn't get Irma hurt.

As the women were conversing, Caleb walked into the room. "Everything's set and the army is ready to go."

"Good," Kadma said as she and her friends stood up. As they walked out the door, the rebel leader put his hand on Yan Lin's shoulder.

"Yan Lin, the men have been wondering how you, Kadma, Halinor, and Cassidy know about this Leaf Village," he said.

"Caleb, everything will be explained soon, but now we need to focus on bringing the guardians back safely," the woman replied.

Caleb looked a little disappointed at not having been given more info on the situation, but he nodded and followed Yan Lin to the courtyard, where the rest of the army was waiting. When they arrived Julian brought the book over to Kadma.

"If we had known this book was a talisman we would have asked for your assistance sooner," the older man said. "I only hope we aren't too late to save the queen and the guardians."

"You and everyone else," Cassidy replied.

"Are you all ready?" Kadma asked her friends.

When the former guardians nodded Kadma placed the book on a pedestal that had been placed in the center of the room. The remaining members of C.H.Y.K.N. placed a hand on the book and concentrated on sending the rest of their magic into it.

After a few seconds a fold appeared, but unlike the normal blue colored ones it was a light gold shade.

"Everyone hurry," Halinor said to the army. "The fold will stay open for only a few moments and we don't have any time to waste!"

* * *

In the Leaf Village Tsunade was going over her plans for the upcoming battle with Shizune when a ringing sound filled the room.

"What was that?" Shizune asked.

"I have no idea," the hokage replied. Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted a slight glow coming from her book shelf.

"No way!" She exclaimed jumping from her chair and running to the shelf grabbing the book. "This cannot be happening now of all times."

"Isn't that the talisman that the former guardians created years ago?" Her assistance asked, bewildered. "I thought it was destroyed when they left."

Tsunade sighed. "No Shizune, there's something I didn't tell you. Yan Lin and the others didn't create one they made two matching ones. One to get to this dimension and one to leave it. When it's twin is used the other starts pulsating like it is now."

Shizune's brow furrowed. "So…that means the former generation is coming."

"And I don't know whether that is a good thing or bad," Tsunade said, angrily cramming the book back where it belonged.

"Isn't it good? I mean if they're coming they could help is in the battle," Shizune said.

"You're forgetting that Hay Lin is Yan Lin granddaughter and who knows if Yan Lin hasn't changed over the years," Tsunade replied.

The younger woman sighed deeply. "Let me guess you want some sake?"

"You think?" the hokage said sarcastically.

As the assistant was about to leave a though struck her. "Milady?"

"What Shizune," Tsunade said sinking back into her chair with a frustrated sigh.

"When are you going to tell the Konoha twelve about the guardians?"

There was a pause as the Hokage thought about what Shizune had said. "I have a feeling they'll find out soon enough about that."

* * *

In the Akatsuki lair later that day, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Elyon were gathered together in Taranee's room talking. Will and Madara had left for the leaf a few minutes ago and soon they would be on their way too.

"Guys, am I the only one who's terrified about this?" Elyon asked.

"No, I am too," Cornelia replied.

"Same," Taranee added.

Hay Lin was quiet as they talked. She was extremely nervous about the battle, but for different reasons then her friends.

The door suddenly swung open and Kisame walked into the room. "Time to go ladies."

Minutes later the guardians and the rest of the Akatsuki were traveling towards the leaf as quickly as they could.

Irma looked over her shoulder at the group and grimaced. "Is it just me or does it look like those guys don't have a clue about what is going on?" she asked Taranee in a whisper.

The fire guardian looked at the Akatsuki . All of them had dead faces and their eyes looked strangely blank.

"I don't know, but the weird thing is I can't read their minds," Taranee whispered back to Irma.

"Seriously?" the brunette asked in disbelief.

"Yeah it's like they don't even have minds," her friend replied.

Irma gulped. "I don't know about you, but this is kinda starting to freak me out a little."

A few feet in front of them, Hay Lin listened to their conversation with her strong hearing senses and swallowed her nervousness. 'Will I hope you're alright.'

* * *

Said keeper was currently with Madara just outside the Leaf Village boundaries. "Is everything in position?" she asked.

"Yes," Madara replied. "I just hope you and your friends follow through with your part."

Will frowned and gripped the heart a little tighter in her hand. The Uchiha's eyes gleamed for a moment as he looked at the amulet.

"There is one more thing that you need to do for the plan to be successful," he said slowly.

"What might that be?" the redhead asked.

"You must give me the heart."

Will's head snapped to face Madara. "Are you serious?"

"I will only require it for a few moments then I will give it back to you. You are not as familiar with the leaf as I am and trust me when I say that the Heart of Candracar is essential to this mission. I promise to return it to you afterwards," Madara said.

Brown eyes narrowed as the keeper thought over his words. Something wasn't right about this, Will just didn't know what.

The ancient Uchiha straightened a little. "My men and the other guardians are here. I can sense their chakra."

Suddenly loud booms filled the air and Will and Madara looked up to see that bombs were exploding around the village.

"What is going on? I gave no order to attack!" The Akatsuki leader cried angrily. "They've destroyed our element of surprise!"

"What should we do?" Will cried, seeing the ninja of the leaf realize what was going on.

"We have to attack!" Madara said.

As soon as the battle started, Will ran to find her friends. Some of the bombs were still going off and the smoke made her eyes water and made it difficult for her to see.

"Will over here!" Cornelia yelled.

"Guys what's going on!" the keeper demanded. "No one was supposed to start attacking!"

"No one did Will," Elyon said. "We were waiting for Madara's signal as plannned when those bombs just went off out of nowhere!"

"Somebody must've dropped them!" the redhead cried throwing her hands in the air.

"She's right someone did drop them," Irma said suddenly.

"Do you know who?" Taranee asked.

The water guardian frowned. "Yes and I'm pretty sure that that someone was invisible."

Her friends gave her confused looks, until they realized that one of them was missing.

"She wouldn't," Cornelia said her eyes wide.

"Oh yeah she would," Irma said.

Will clenched her jaw in anger. "What the heck was she thinking? Come on let's find her and get this over with!" she yelled, leaping into the air with her friends hot on her heels.

* * *

Nerissa could barely keep the sadistic smile off her face as she watched the battle unfold around her. Everything was going according to plan and soon the guardians' powers would be hers at long last. Her grin grew even more when she saw Naruto and Sasuke running towards the battle. If there was other thing Nerissa wanted aside from power it was to make Will suffer. She despised the young guardian more than anything else and fighting the boy she loved would break her for sure.

"Nerissa!" Tsunade yelled as she ran over.

"Tsunade do you have a plan?" She asked, feigning concern.

"I did, but that was shot down the minute those blasted bombs went off!" the Hokage growled. "Now Yan Lin, Halinor, and Kadma are coming which make matters worse than before."

Nerissa froze and her face paled drastically. "What?" she asked.

"The other half book talismans I had went off earlier today. I should have told you, but I didn't want to worry you. I'm just hoping Yan Lin and the others will be able to help," Tsunade said, before running off to see what else she could do to help her village.

The old guardian was frantic now. If the rest of the former guardians arrived during the battle, the plan she and Madara had so carefully constructed would be ruined.

'No! Not when I'm so close!' Nerissa thought as she ran through the village. She needed to find Madara and finish the guardians off once and for all.

* * *

Shikamaru had to fight back the urge to curse as he battled with the revived Akatsuki members. The young Nara was already in a really bad mood as it was and right now this was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

"That's it," Shikamaru growled. Using his shadow jutsu, he snapped the necks of his two opponents.

'I have to find Irma,' he thought. He had been thinking nonstop about what he had heard from Tsunade and the genius was one hundred percent sure that something was wrong and he was going to find out what that was.

"Shikamaru!" a familiar voice cried.

Turning around Shikamaru's eyes widened when he saw Hay Lin running toward him.

"Hay Lin what-" Before he could finish his sentence the girl grabbed him and dragged him to an area more secluded from the rest of the battle.

"Okay Shikamaru, I know what the situation is, but you need to listen to me," Hay Lin said.

That's when the pineapple haired teen got a good look at Hay Lin and he was rather freaked, not because of the pink and aqua colored clothes she wore, but because she had wings protruding out of her back.

"Are those actual wings?" he asked in shock.

The air guardian put her hand to her head in slight frustration. "Shikamaru I know you must be freaking out, everything will be explained later, but right now you absolutely have to listen to me. "

Shikamaru held up a hand. "First answer my question; are you, Irma, and the others in league with the Akatsuki."

"No," Hay Lin replied. "Madara only wants you to believe that we. I know everything that's been going on."

"So Irma isn't the enemy," Shikamaru said in relief.

The girl bit her lip. "That's where it gets complicated. Madara has Irma and the other convinced that the leaf was just using us for our powers. I couldn't tell them what I found out because our lives are riding on this. I knew you might have been the only one to guess something was wrong that's why I came to find you."

The boy went over her words and then quickly backtracked."Wait a minute did you just say powers? What powers? And what do you mean your lives are riding on this? Hay Lin what is going on!" He demanded.

"Before I tell you, you have to swear that you won't jump to conclusions or think that I'm totally nuts because what I'm going to tell you is the truth. Can I trust you?" Hay Lin asked looking the genius in front of her straight in the eye.

Shikamaru stared back at her, wondering if he was willing or not to hear what Hay Lin had to say. It was only when he realized that the leaf could be destroyed if he didn't, that he nodded. "You can trust me."

Hay Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew I could. Here's what happened."

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H fan:Okay I know you must all really hate me for the cliff hangers and the unanswered questions, but those will be answered in the next few chapters. I am also sad to say that there will only be a few more chapters until the conclusion of this story. So keep that in mind. I'll try to make these last few chapters as awesome as possible. **


	29. Chapter 29

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Okay guys first of all let me say that I am very, very sorry for the long wait to this chapter. Let me tell you writers block is the worst. Well I hope you guys like it, because after this we only have one more chapter. That's right; one more left. Anyway enjoy because this took me 3 whole days of nonstop writing to finish this for you guys. **

Chapter 29

Will was feeling ready to blow something up as she and her friends looked for Hay Lin.

"I still can't believe Hay Lin would drop those bombs," Cornelia said. "How did she even get them in the first place?"

"How she got the bombs doesn't matter guys," Will snapped. "We need to find her and figure out why she did it."

Irma looked over and the fire guardian. "Taranee, did you or Elyon pick up anything from her."

"Now that you mention it… I did. Hay Lin was thinking about a bunch of random stuff, but not about the battle. It was like she was trying to hide something from us," Elyon said.

The keeper gritted her teeth. "Well now we now that she was hiding something. "

"The question is what?" Taranee said.

Out of nowhere, a kunai whizzed through the air right in front of Will, jerking her and the rest of the guardians to a stop.

"Nice to see you again Will," Sasuke said as he faced them, his anger clearly visible.

"Dah dah daaah we're dead," Irma said, earning a smack from Cornelia.

The redhead's hands clenched into tight fists as she looked at the man in front of her. "Guys go and find Hay Lin. I'll take care of this," she said not taking her eyes of the Uchiha.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Taranee asked telepathically.

"I can hold out… for a while. Just find Hay Lin and figure out what the heck is going on with her," Will replied.

The guardians nodded once, glared at Sasuke, and took off leaving the former couple alone.

"So what brought the traitor back to the Leaf Village?" The young man asked.

Several emotions crossed the girl's face at his words; Anger, hurt, and slight confusion. He of all people was calling her a traitor?

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Tell me, Sasuke, how did Naruto manage to get the renowned avenger back to this wretched place?" Will said, her anger slightly getting the best of her.

Sasuke's eyes widened realizing what she meant and without hesitation Will lunged at him, kunai in hand. She slashed at his cheek leaving a gash.

"A little slow there Sasuke. Maybe you aren't as strong as you thought," the redhead taunted. "What should I expect from a betrayer like you?"

At that Sasuke snapped. He grabbed Will's wrist, threw her in the air, and slammed her on her back pinning her down by putting his hand around her throat.

"I'm strong enough to take you out," he growled.

"You wanna bet," Will managed to choke out. Lifting her hands she sent Sasuke flying backwards with a blast of lightning. Throwing off her Akatsuki cloak she revealed herself in guardian form, wings and all.

'What the…?' Sasuke thought as he stared at her. 'What is she?'

"Now it's a fair fight," Will said with sneer. She shot another bolt of lightning at him, but he dove out of the way and unsheathed his katana.

As she and Sasuke battled it out, Will prayed that her friends would get find Hay Lin and come to help her out soon because, as she looked at Sasuke's handsome face, the keeper wasn't sure how long she could last fighting him.

* * *

Hay Lin bit her lip as she watched Shikamaru process everything that she had just told him. "It's a lot of information to take in, huh?"

"Okay let me make sure I've got this right," the genius said. "You, Irma, Will, Taranee, and Cornelia are these things called guardians, who protect several different worlds, Elyon is a queen from a from one of those worlds called Meridian, Nerissa is a former guardian turned evil who tried to kill you guys before, and Madara has the other girls convinced that we knew who you were and only wanted to use your powers for ourselves?"

"You left out the part that Madara is the one who wants to use our powers and if we don't find a way to stop him and Nerissa, Elyon and the other guardians and I are dead," the air guardian replied, slight panic evident in her voice.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Shikamaru said standing up. "Let's go."

"Wait Shikamaru," Hay Lin said, holding up her hands. "I forgot to tell you backup is on the way."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how, but my grandmother, a former guardian, managed to get a hold of me telepathically. She's the one who told me everything about Madara and what his plans were. Now she and the other former guardians are coming to help, with the Meridian army."

"Let me guess, once the former guardians get here then you're hoping your friends will realize that this was just a trick?"

"Exactly," Hay Lin said with a nod.

"I knew something was off about this whole thing. I didn't entirely believe Nerissa when she said you guys were with the Akatsuki," Shikamaru said.

"I knew there was a reason why I was telling you all this," The air guardian grinned.

An explosion sounded nearby and the two friends bolted out of their hiding spot into the battle only to have revived Akatsuki members begin attacking them.

As Shikamaru watched Hay Lin fight, he was suddenly aware of how lucky he was that he had never given her or her friends reason to inure him. And if Hay Lin was as strong as he thought she was, there was a good chance that Irma was stronger.

'Why are there so many troublesome and scary women in my life?' He thought. Turning to Hay Lin he spoke aloud. "I hope your reinforcements get here soon, Hay Lin," the genius grunted as he blocked an attack.

"We're already here."

Before Hay Lin and Shikamaru could turn to see who had spoken the person leapt forward and struck down an Akatsuki member that was coming at Hay Lin.

"Caleb! Matt!" Hay Lin cried in relief at the sight of her two friends. "You guys made it!"

"Where are the other guardians?" Caleb asked, using his sword to deflect oncoming kunai.

"Still fighting for the wrong side. I haven't been able to explain everything to them," Hay Lin said as she sent four Akatsuki members flying. "Where's my grandma?"

"She and the other former guardians went to find this woman called Tsunade. I'm still not sure what the heck is going on Hay Lin. I could use a little more information," Matt said.

Hay Lin threw up her hands in exasperation. "Later guys. Just go and hold back the Akatsuki, the ones in the red and black cloaks."

Caleb and Matt nodded and ran off to do what the air guardian said.

"What do you want me to do?" Shikamaru asked. The second the words left his mouth, he realized that this was the first time he was looking to someone else for a plan.

"You need to find Neji, Lee, Naruto, and Kiba and somehow get them to understand the situation. We can't waste any time, I don't know how much longer we have until Nerissa and Madara try to take our powers," Hay Lin said.

"What about you?"

"I'm going to go find my friends. We need to get everyone in the same spot and tell them what's going on. Once you get the boys together meet me and the girls up at the front of the village near the gates," the air guardian explained.

The genius nodded. "Got it and Hay Lin?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring Irma back to me safely will you?" Shikamaru said.

Hay Lin smiled. "Of course," she said, before taking off into the air.

* * *

"Are you certain?" Madara growled threateningly.

"I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't," Nerissa shot back.

The Uchiha clenched his fists. Everything was going to be ruined if he didn't find a way to fix the problem and soon.

"Well Madara what do you propose we do?" the former keeper demanded. "I say we take their powers now before it's too late."

"It already is."

Nerissa and Madara whipped around and saw Kadma, Halinor, and Cassidy standing in front of them.

"You both should have learned a long time ago not to mess with the guardians," Cassidy said.

"It seems you both need to be taught that lesson again," Kadma said.

"Where is Yan Lin?" Madara said in a mocking tone. "Is the old fool too weak to try and protect her own village?"

"She has gone to find Tsunade and tell her of what you two have done," Halinor informed them.

Nerissa's lips curled in a sneer. 'No! I will not be defeated again!' With that thought the guardian raised her arms. "Quintessance!" She yelled sending her magic at her former friends. "You fools will not take this victory from me!"

In the confusion the masked Uchiha managed to back away into the forest. Looking back he saw the way Nerissa fought the former generation, throwing lightning bolt after lightning bolt at them in a frantic speed and he realized the former keeper was slipping into insanity.

'She won't last the battle. I'm going to finish this myself,' he thought. His sharigan shining he slipped off to find the guardians.

* * *

Kiba winced and tried not to cry out as a blade left a deep gash in his upper arm. To his left, Akamaru was attacking the Akatsuki and to his right, Hinata and Shino were holding off as many as they possible could.

'Could this week get any worse?' He thought as he gritted his teeth. That's when his eyes widened and his head shot up as, in the midst of the blood, dirt, and steel, he caught the faint smell of lilac. Only one person he knew had that scent. 'I spoke too soon.'

Turning his head, Kiba saw Elyon running through the battle. For a few short seconds all he saw was her and the dog ninja felt something similar to acid begin to churn in his stomach when he realized she was wearing one of those cursed red and black robes.

"Kiba focus!" Shino's monotone voice demanded. "You can't let her get to you. She's not the Elyon we thought we knew," he finished in a voice softer than anyone had ever heard him use. It almost sounded like he was sad.

"I know she's not," Kiba growled. Looking back at Elyon he felt his heart clench painfully. 'That's what's killing me.'

"We have to stop them," Hinata cried, seeing the girls getting further away.

"Akamaru go get them!" Kiba yelled. His dog obeyed and took off after them, with Shino's bugs right behind him.

As she ran Elyon heard a familiar buzzing sound and a dog barking. Looking over her shoulder she cringed when she saw Akamaru and Shino's bugs coming after her and her friends. Turning to face them she shot out her hand and a wave of magic sent Akamaru and the bugs flying back.

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata stared in shock. "What the heck was that?" Kiba cried.

"Was it some kind of jutsu the Akatsuki developed?" Hinata asked.

"I don't know, but let's find out," Shino said as he started running after Elyon himself.

"Guys," Elyon called in worry as she saw her former friends start running her way.

Cornelia immediately moved in front of her. "Don't worry I got this."

The queen gave her best friend a grateful look before leaving to continue her search for Hay Lin.

The earth guardians planted her feet firmly on the ground and took a deep breath, feeling her magic spread over her.

Kiba stopped in front of the blonde. "Is Elyon really so big a coward that she asked you fight her battles for her?"

"She just doesn't want to face the lying backstabbing dog that broke her heart," Cornelia retorted coldly.

Before the confused dog ninja could respond Cornelia slammed her hand on the ground and the ground beneath, team 8's feet began to shake.

"What's going on?" Hinata cried in panic.

"You're about to witness what the earth guardian can really do," The blonde said, as she summoned even more of her magic.

* * *

Yan Lin couldn't help, but frown sadly as she watched the battle raging around her. 'This place used to be peaceful. Now there is war and chaos,' she thought sadly.

"Yan Lin, we must keep moving if we are to find the Hokage in time to save the guardians," Julian said. He had come with Yan Lin as the old woman was no longer strong enough to fight on her own.

The air guardian snapped out of her reprieve. "Yes let's hurry. I only hope my granddaughter found someone trustworthy to help her.'

As they continued on, Yan Lin saw a young woman yelling out orders. She paused and stared the woman for a minute before recognition dawned on her.

"Julian stop," she said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That woman over there is Shizune. I saw her years ago when she a girl when Tsunade made her her apprentice. If anyone can help she can," Yan Lin explained.

Before her friend could say anything, Yan Lin rushed over to where Shizune was standing.

"Shizune I need your help," she cried.

The dark haired woman looked at Yan Lin and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Yan Lin, the former guardian of air and I need to speak with Tsunade as soon as possible," the older woman explained.

Shizune's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the woman in front of her. "What-wait-but-you-here-and-!"

"SHIZUNE! WHAT'S GOING ON?" Tsunade yelled as she hurried to her assistant. The Hokage stopped dead in her tracks and when she saw Yan Lin.

"Tsunade please you must listen to me," Yan Lin pleaded.

"Yan Lin what are you doing here and what the heck is going on?" The blone woman shouted.

"It's about Nerissa." Yan Lin hesitated before she went on. "She has deceived you Tsunade and Madara has deceived my granddaughter and her friends."

"What do you mean?" the hokage asked with mixed confusion and anger.

"Nerissa in no longer on the side of good, Tsunade. She and Madara have been working to turn the guardians and the leaf village against each other in order to destroy of the village and take the guardians powers for themselves."

Tsunade's eyes widened for a moment before her fists clenched in tight fists. "So you're saying Nerissa was lying to me all this time and I was a fool and believed her?"

"You are not a fool my friend and I wouldn't be here if that weren't the case, but we must act quickly. Madara and Nerissa know that I am telling you of their plan and the guardians are in danger," the former air guardian said.

"Shizune! You and I will find the guardians and make sure nothing happens to them. We can't let Nerissa and Madara get their powers!" Tsunade shouted.

* * *

"Shikamaru what are we doing?" Neji cried, his tone laced with frustration.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," the genius replied.

Shikamaru had done what Hay Lin had asked him too and found Neji, Naruto, and Lee He was currently leading them toward the gates where he and Hay Lin had planned to meet up hoping he would find Kiba and Sasuke along the way. He looked to his right and smiled at Ino and Chouji. They had been the first ones he had found and had instantly said they would do whatever he wanted them to.

As he looked around he saw Kiba, Hinata, and Shino fighting with Cornelia. 'Oh crap this isn't good,' he thought. He knew that as soon as Neji saw Cornelia he was going to blow.

As usual he was right.

The second the prodigy spotted the blonde he bolted in her direction.

"Neji don't!" the lazy ninja yelled. The Hyuga ignored him.

"Come one he have to stop him from doing something he'll regret," Shikamaru said with a groan.

"Would somebody tell me what the heck is going on!" Naruto shouted.

Cornelia looked over her shoulder at the sound of Naruto's yell and saw Neji coming her way. Kiba saw she was distracted and threw a kunai at her. The earth guardian cried out in pain as the kunai lodged itself into her shoulder. Before anybody could do anything else a blast of wind knocked everybody backward.

"All of you stop this!" Hay Lin cried as she flew over to them.

Behind her the extremely confused Irma, Taranee, Elyon, and Will looked at each other in surprise. Will had seen Hay Lin while she was fighting with Sasuke and taken off after her and Taranee, Elyon, and Irma had quickly joined them. Sasuke had followed them as well still wanting to fight with Will.

When the guardians and shinobi all saw each other each of them got ready to fight. Shikamaru acted quickly and activated his shadow possession jutsu.

"Shikamaru what are you doing?" Sasuke growled as he fought against the shadow users technique.

"Stopping you idiots from killing innocent girls," he replied.

"Hay Lin have you lost your freaking mind?" Taranee cried.

"We were supposed to help take down the leaf not help the people who lied to us and used us!" Irma yelled.

"What are you talking about? We never lied to you, you're the ones who lied to us!" Naruto shouted.

"Nerissa and Madara lied to us all! Hay Lin screamed.

That got everyone's attention and they looked at the air guardian in confusion.

"Nerissa and Madara are working together. They wanted to turn us against each other so they would get what they wanted. The leaf destroyed and the guardians' powers," Hay Lin explained.

"Can't you guys see that we've been tricked into hating each other?" Shikamaru asked.

The guardians and shinobi all looked at each other as they thought about what the air guardian and lazy genius had just told them.

Before Hay Lin could continue Madara, Zetsu, Kisame, and the revived Deidara, Sasori, and Kakazu appeared and grabbed the guardians.

"You're very clever to have figured out my plan little guardian," Madara sneered at Hay Lin. "But it still won't be enough to save you and your pathetic friends."

Sasuke's eyes blazed with anger as he glared at the Uchiha in front of him. "Madara!" He growled.

"Ah Sasuke," Madara greeted him in a pleasant tone. "It's good to see you again."

Will struggled against the Uchiha as he gripped her arms tightly. "Madara why are you doing this?"

"Oh Will I thought you were smarter than this. That brat you call a friend told you my plan and you still ask ridiculous questions," the masked man said.

The guardians and shinobi all froze as the force of the realization crashed down on them. None of them had planned to turn on each other. They had just been pawns in Madara and Nerissa's plan.

Fury radiated off the keeper like crazy. "Madara...you-" She was cut off when the Akatsuki leader slammed his fist into her stomach making her cough up blood.

Sasuke and Naruto both gritted their teeth in anger. They didn't fully get what powers the girls had that Madara wanted so badly, but now that they knew Will and Hay Lin weren't the enemy there was no way that they were going to let them get hurt.

"Madara which one do you want to start on first?" Kisame asked.

The Uchiha hummed in thought. "I'm torn between the keeper and the air guardian because along with their powers they have unique traits from their family lines."

"What are you talking about? My parents don't have any powers," Will cried.

Naruto gave a sharp intake of breath. Will had no idea she was his sister after all.

Madara continued as if Will hadn't spoken. "But I think I'll start with Will. Watching Sasuke lose something close to him will give me something to enjoy while I do this."

With that Madara pulled out a dagger and stabbed Will in the back with it.

"No!" The other guardians screamed in horror as their friend screamed.

Will cried out in pain as the cursed Uchiha twisted the knife in her back. She heard Madara mumbling something under his breath and felt her body begin to weaken. 'He's taking my powers,' she realized.

As more energy slipped from her body and the pain from the stab wound increased Will somehow managed to meet Sasuke's gaze. She saw the anger in his face as well as guilt, panic, and love.

_Love_. Will realized then with the thrill that the whole time Sasuke had cared about her more then she could imagine and would never betray her.

With a newfound determination Will, with a speed nobody could follow, slammed her elbow into Madara stomach, stopping the chanting he was doing. Will leapt forward and felt the knife, still gripped tightly in the Uchiha's hand, slip out of her back none too gently. Throwing back her arm she sent lightning at Madara throwing him against a nearby tree.

The other guardians quickly took advantage of the Akatsuki members surprise to either sucker punch them(Irma and Elyon) or knock them to the ground (Cornelia, Taranee, and Hay Lin).

The shinobi ran towards the guardians to make sure they were okay, but they didn't have any time to reconcile with each other. Madara was already back in his feet and glaring at the eighteen teenagers in front of him.

"You have all constantly been a thorn in my side. Now you will die!" He shouted as more of the Akatsuki joined their leader.

What followed was without a doubt the hardest battle the guardians had ever fought in their lives. The battle with Phobos and Cedric was nothing compared to this.

"What the heck were you guys training us for this whole time? Dancing?" Will yelled at Sasuke as she jumped out of the way of Kisame's sword.

"Just fight!" He replied slicing at Zetsu with his katana.

Zombie Deidara jumped into the air and threw several kunai into the ground by Elyon and Irma's feet. Instantly the paper bombs exploded and the guardian and queen were sent flying. They landed with sickening thuds and didn't move.

"Irma!" Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji cried.

"Elyon!" Kiba shouted.

Ino began to run to help her friend, but Kakazu got in between them.

"The brats must have hit their heads," Kakazu taunted. "Maybe I should just finish them off like Hidan did your blasted sensei."

"We won't lose anyone else because of you!" Chouji yelled growing in size and attempting to grab Kakazu.

When Cornelia saw her friends were unconscious she raised her hand and the earth shifted to form a barrier around Irma and Elyon, protecting them from the battle. She winced as the wound in her shoulder from Kiba's kunai throbbed painfully. It had been in pretty deep and she was beginning to feel dizzy from the loss of blood.

Taranee was having troubles of her own with Sasori. She couldn't read his mind, but she was pretty sure the liquid dripping from the sword in his hand was not something she would want to get in her system. Avoiding it was proving to be difficult though.

Sasori threw a senbon that sliced her arm and a very unladylike word slipped out of the fire guardian's mouth. That brief second of hesitation was all Sasori needed. He lunged forward and the dripping sword was plunged into Taranee's side.

_"Tara!"_

**"TARANEE!"**

Her fellow guardians' screams were awful, but Lee's was worse.

As Taranee hit the ground she saw a blurry figure appear above her. She felt her lips tug a little at the corners as she recognized the green spandex of her ex-partner before she blacked out.

"Taranee, Taranee wake up!" Lee yelled, shaking the girl's shoulders. "No Taranee don't die!"

"Lee stop!" Neji ordered forcefully. "Get her to a medic! Now!"

Listening to his teammate's words the green beast lifted Taranee into his arms and ran off as fast as he could to find a medic.

Neji gritted his teeth as he watched his friend carry Tarane away. Three of them were already down for the count and he could see Cornelia and Will were in pain from their stab wounds. Hay Lin would probably soon get hurt too. They really hadn't been prepared well enough to face the world of a ninja. This was beyond their capabilities and he was certain they knew that as well. The girls would be lucky if they made it out of this battle alive.

Madara too was well aware that the guardians were weakening. He had managed to get a good amount of Will's power before the little brat had struck him and it was definitely taking its toll on her. He decided he needed to finish what he had started and began to make his way toward Will. Suddenly a fist appeared out of nowhere and smashed Madara in face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" The slug queen snarled.

"I was actually beginning to wonder when you would show up," the masked replied. Then he got a good look at her and smirked behind the mask. "Why Tsunade. You've used up quite a good amount of chakra if you're starting to look more your actual age."

It was true. The Hokage's hands were becoming wrinkled and her hair was starting to turn gray at her forehead and temples.

"I still have enough chakra to stop you," Tsunade said.

"Oh really?" Madara asked. Then with movement like a snake he reached out and grabbed Hay Lin holding the dagger to her back.

Everyone stopped and stared at the guardian as the color drained from her face in fear.

Naruto took a threatening step forward. "Let her go!"

"Or what you'll unleash the fox? Go ahead. I still won't let her go and you'll just end up killing her yourself," Madara said.

The jinjuriki clenched his fists as he eyes turned red with fury.

"Naruto don't. Please," Hay Lin begged.

The ancient Uchiha pressed the dagger harder to her back. "Shut up."

"Calm down Naruto," Sasuke said firmly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Naruto, however, was far beyond calming down as he watched the girl he loved being threatened.

"I may not be able to get all of the guardians' powers, but I will get this one's full powers," Madara said as he began to walk away with Hay Lin. "If any of you follow me I'll make sure the brat suffers before she dies."

Suddenly the dagger flew from Madara's hand and head was knocked back as if someone had punched him and he let go of the guardian in surprise. As it turned out someone _had_ actually punched him.

"Run Hay Lin!" Yan Lin, who was still invisible called.

As Hay Lin made a move to run to Naruto, Madara, furious at how things were turning out, punched the air guardian on the side of her head with a chakra infused fist.

**"HAY LIN!"** Naruto, Yan Lin, and Will all cried as the girl collapsed with a stream of blood trickling down the side of her face.

Tsunade, now having an opening, jumped and landed a flying kick in Madara's stomach. Sasuke and Naruto quickly joined her.

Will looked around her, at her friends fighting furiously with the Akatsuki. 'This is what it's like to be a ninja?' she thought. 'You watch your friends get hurt and die right in front of you and there's nothing you can do about it?'

She was torn from her thoughts when a wave of both pain and dizzyness overpowered her and stumbled backward. The stab wound in her back burned with pain and both the loss of blood and powers was making her extremely weak. As her vision began to blur she glanced at Cornelia and saw the earth guardian fall to her knees as the blood loss from her shoulder became too great for her to handle.

'Is this it? Am I going to die?' Will thought wearily as she felt her body hit the hard blood soaked ground. Just before darkness enveloped her one word flew threw her mind. '_Sasuke._'

Madara let out an insane laugh as he watched the keeper fall. "The guardian's have all fallen and soon so shall the leaf!"

Sasuke paled at the sight of Will on the ground. As he stared at her, visions of the lifeless bodies of his parents and brother flashed through his mind. 'No I won't lose her too. I can't lose her!' he thought. As the Uchiha whipped around to finish off Madara he realized that the ancient ninja was slipping. 'He thinks he's going to win, but he's lost his mind.'

"It seems you failed to protect another family member Sasuke," Madara said, rather widely, as he gestured to Hay Lin. "When will you and the blasted jinjuriki realize that you will never have anyone to care for you. No matter what you do, you two fools will always be alone!"

The Akatsuki leader laughed more wildly then before, officially having lost his mind, and Naruto and Sasuke both were beyond furious. Looking at each other they both came to the same conclusion.

Naruto created a clone and Sasuke jumped into a tree behind Madara. Tsunade realized what they meant to do and quickly jumped out of the way as the two formed their signature attacks.

'This is for Will and Hay Lin,' they thought.

**"CHIDORI!"** Sasuke yelled as he jumped from the tree towards Madara.

**"RASENGAN!"** Naruto shouted running forward.

They reached Madara at the same time, Sasuke's chidori in his back, and Naruto's Rasengan in his stomach.

The smell of blood and chakra burning into flesh filled the air and through it all Madara laughed like a madman until the power of the chidori and rasengan created an explosion that destroyed the crazed Uchiha once and for all.

Once the explosion cleared Naruto and Sasuke ran to Hay Lin and Will respectively. Likewise the rest of the Shinobi had run to the guardians to look over their wounds as they had already defeated the Akatsuki members they had fought.

As soon as Sasuke and Naruto had killed Madara, all through the leaf the revived Akatsuki members, now that the main source of their chakra had been destroyed, began to disintegrate into nothing. At first the leaf shinobi were confused, but once they figured out the Akatsuki were no more, a great cheer went up through the village. Madara Uchiha and his Akatsuki were dead and the leaf village was safe.

The battle was over.

_END OF CHAPTER_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Long chapter huh? Well I hope you guys liked it. Like I've said before, I'm not the best at writing long action filled fight scenes, so I hope this is sufficient enough for everyone. Another reminder that there will be one more chapter after this and then the story will be over. That's right the story of Naruto and the Guardians is coming to a close. R AND R my friends!**


	30. Chapter 30

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Well guys this is it. The final chapter to Naruto and the Guardians. It's been a good long ride, but it is time to finish this story. Normally I would thank all the people that reviewed, but since there are so many people that did(major kudos to you all!) I think the list would be really long if I did. I fully appreciate all of you that have read and stuck with this story, despite the author's laziness and slow updates. Enjoy this final chapter.**

Chapter 30

Tsunade took a deep breath as she surveyed the damage that had been done to her village just four short hours after the battle had been won. The village hadn't been completely destroyed, but it was in bad shape and would take months to repair. Thankfully a few more important buildings had received minimal damage and could still be used. The hospital was one of those buildings and dozens of ninja were being taken care of there.

"And so it ends," Kadma said walking up to the Hokage. "Madara has been defeated and the village is safe once again."

"I never expected to see you again old friend," Tsunade said with a grin.

Kadma smirked in reply. "Nor did I. I trust Yan Lin already informed you of Nerissa's past doings."

"Yes she did and to be honest I'm really quite peeved that you all decided to keep her betrayal from Jiraya and I," The blonde woman retorted. "Do you know how much trouble could have been avoided if you hadn't?"

"The past is the past Tsunade. Nothing we do now can change that," The former earth guardian replied calmly.

Tsunade smiled wider at Kadma's familiar detached manner. She'd always been the most strict when they were younger, trying to keep her, Jiraya, Yan Lin, and Cassidy from getting into trouble. The smile faded as a thought came to her.

"What happened to Nerissa?"

Kadma sighed. "Like Madara she went insane when we found her. She fought against us for a while, but the captain of the Meridian guard, Aldarn, was the one who made an end to Nerissa." She didn't need to elaborate her statement. The hokage understood.

"I see," was all Tsunade said. The two friends stood in silence for a moment as they thought about how Nerissa was before the lust for power had corrupted her mind and soul. "Yan Lin explained that Nerissa was held in a jeweled prison. How did she get out?"

"Madara apparently had found a way for a few of his followers to travel to Meridian. They attacked Julian, the one in charge of keeping track of the jewel, and broke it, freeing Nerissa," The former guardian said.

The Hokage nodded as they continued through the village.

"How are the guardians?" Kadma asked after a while.

"Irma and Elyon are fine. They hit their heads pretty hard, but they should wake up in a few hours. Hay Lin is in the same condition. The stab wound in Taranee's side wasn't serious and the poison is currently being extracted from her system. Will and Cornelia's are more serious. While nothing vital was hit, they lost a large amount of blood. We'll have to give the two of them transfusions to make up the difference. It will take time, but they will all recover nicely," The slug queen explained.

A hint of mischief gleamed in Kadma's eyes. "And how exactly are you faring, Tsunade?"

The blonde woman laughed. "I'll be fine Kadma. My youth is already starting to come back to me see?" She said holding up an almost completely wrinkle free hand.

"I'm just glad to hear the guardians and Queen Elyon will live. The people of Meridian would have been devastated if they had been lost," Kadma said as they began walking to the hospital.

"As would my finest Shinobi," Tsunade smiled.

Kadma paused in her walk. "What exactly is the relationship between the guardians and your shinobi?"

Tsuande raised a curious eyebrow before replying. "Well from what I've gathered, though I don't think they've admitted it yet, it looks like the shinobi are in love with the guardians."

Kadma didn't stop walking, but a frown was beginning to form on her face. "I saw them making quite a fuss over the guardians earlier. I don't think having them constantly worrying would be very helpful to the guardians' recovery."

"I know, that's why I'm sending them all to the Sand Village with the Kazekage to get the supplies we'll need to rebuild the village. Gaara and his siblings will also be recruiting volunteers to come and help," Tsunade said.

The former earth guardian nodded, pleased with her friend's answer. 'That should make things easier.'

* * *

In the hospital Yan Lin was making her way towards Hay Lin's room. After explaining everything to very miffed Tsunade, she had gone directly to the hospital to see how her girls were doing. Will, Taranee, and Cornelia were in the emergency room and the former air guardian had been surprised to see Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee waiting impatiently for news. Yan Lin had been touched by the devotion the two young men seemed to have for the earth and fire guardian.

She had also stopped by Irma's room where she saw the water guardian lying on a bed still unconscious with three teenagers Yan Lin didn't know in the room with her. A dark haired young man in a jounin vest was kneeling by Irma's side holding her hand, a loving expression on his face. A blonde girl was arranging a vase of fresh flowers on the table beside the bed and a boy with a larger build was standing by the first one looking concerned. Elyon was also still unconscious, with three teenagers and a dog sitting next to her.

When she finally came to her granddaughter's room, Yan Lin wasn't the least surprised to find Naruto sitting beside her. The loud blonde, she had heard, had refused to leave Hay Lin's side even though the doctors and nurses had even tried to forcibly remove him from the hospital. However, Yan Lin was surprised and a little nervous when she saw Sasuke with him.

When Yan Lin and Sasuke made eye contact, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became extremely awkward.

After a few moments Naruto broke the silence. "If you're here to check on Hay Lin, she's alright and from what Grandma Tsunade says, she'll wake up in a few more hours. Though it'll feel like days for me," he sighed dramatically.

Sasuke scoffed slightly and rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he muttered.

Naruto's head snapped up and he gave his friend a death glare. "Hey Hay Lin is your cousin! At least show a little more concern for her you jerk!"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed and he returned the glare. The two continued their staring contest until Yan Lin cleared her throat.

"Naruto I know you must want to stay with Hay Lin, but can you please give Sasuke and I some privacy for a few moments?" She asked.

Surprisingly, at least to Sasuke, Naruto didn't object. He just nodded, gave Hay Lin's hand a squeeze, stood up, and walked out of the room.

Again it became awkward with neither Sasuke nor his grandmother knowing what to say. As Yan Lin took a closer look at her grandson she smiled. "You look so much like your mother, Sasuke."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the Uchiha's lips. "I get that a lot."

He looked down at Hay Lin and let out a rather shaky breath. "I never knew that some of my family was still alive."

Yan Lin closed her eyes. "I understand how you must be feeling and I hope that one day you can forgive me for choosing to leave the village."

Sasuke glanced at his grandmother out of the corner of his eye. "I don't understand why you left or why my parents never told me about you, but I'm just glad that I'm not as alone as I thought."

Pain squeezed Yan Lin's heart as she thought about how her daughter, son-in-law, oldest grandson, and the rest of her family had died. She didn't linger too long on the painful memories and turned to Sasuke.

"I thought for sure that you would be waiting for news on Will."

"They kicked me out," The young Uchiha said, an irritated expression on his face. "They wouldn't even tell me how she was doing. Apparently I was making too much a scene. Though they didn't kick out Lee and Hyuga," he added a sense of bitterness in his voice.

"You really care about her don't you?" The former guardian asked.

Sasuke didn't reply, but the look on his face gave Yan Lin the answer she had expected. She could tell her grandson loved Will.

Before anymore could be said between the two, Halinor, Cassidy, and Kadma walked into the room.

"Sorry if we're interrupting something, but Tsunade wants to speak with you Sasuke," Cassidy said.

The young man looked at Yan Lin and gave her a small smile before walking out, leaving the former generation alone.

"What is it?" Yan Lin asked her friends.

Halinor was the first to speak. "We heard about the guardians relationships with the shinobi and Kadma and I have decided that they must be stopped."

"And I think you're both insane," Cassidy interjected before Yan Lin could speak. "Honestly guys, what harm could there possibly be in them continuing relationships with Tsunade's best shinobi?"

"If these relationships continue the guardians will became distracted and will not be able to properly perform their duties as protectors of the universe," Kadma insisted firmly.

"Oh come on Kadma!" Cassidy exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. "They're teenage girls who have saved the world three times already! They deserve to be happy!"

Yan Lin opened her mouth, but Halinor beat her too it. "What about Elyon, Cassidy. Do you really think her people and the Meridian noblemen will approve of her falling in love with a low class ninja, not from her world?"

"Well I think it should be up to the girls," Yan Lin interjected loudly. When she had her three friend's attention she continued. "Hay Lin and Irma know about their true heritage and Will needs to know that Minato and Kushina are her true parents and that Naruto is her brother. After everything is explained the girls should decide on whether or not they wish to stay in the village or leave it. We can't decide for them."

Cassidy smiled. "She's right, it isn't our decision."

Kadma and Halinor reluctantly nodded their heads. "At least they can decide while the shinobi are in the sand village getting supplies and volunteers. This way it will be easier for them," Halinor said, turning and walking out of the room. Kadma followed and Cassidy left soon after them.

Yan Lin let out a deep breath and looked at her granddaughter. She didn't want Hay Lin to make such a hard choice, but it had to be done and she was worried what the outcome of the choice could do to Hay Lin, as well as the other guardians, in the long run.

* * *

Shikamaru looked back at the hospital as he and his friends began to leave for the sand village, fighting the strong urge to run inside just so he could stay with Irma. He wasn't happy about leaving her alone, especially when he had just gotten her back, but he had to put his duty to the leaf village first.

"What a drag," he mumbled.

"You say something Shikamaru?" Chouji asked as he practically inhaled three potato chips.

"I'm just irritated with this whole situation. Irma's back, but she's unconscious and I have a leave for at least a week. It's all just so troublesome," the genius replied.

His best friend nodded before going back to eating. Shikamaru looked at the rest of the Konoha twelve all of whom were being disturbingly quiet. He had already informed them on what Hay Lin had told him and needless to say that had all been shocked to hear just how powerful the girls really were. Kiba had turned pale when he heard that Elyon was actually an extremely powerful queen and that it was her soldiers that had given the leaf aid in the battle.

"Shikamaru!" Temari shouted suddenly, breaking the lazy ninja off his train of thought.

"What woman?" he demanded a little startled.

The fan wielder rolled her eyes. "Sheesh zone out much? I said your name five times before you responded."

"Well what do you want?" he repeated.

"I just noticed that you look worried and I was wondering if it was because of my…sister."

Shikamaru didn't miss the way his friend's voice turned a bit hesitant when she referred to Irma out loud as her sister. He himself was still trying to grasp the fact that the girl he loved was related to the three scariest people he knew.

"Of course I'm worried about her," he replied. "How could I not be?"

Temari smiled. "Well don't be. Irma can handle herself. She's tough like me."

"If she turns out to be even more like you then I'm very screwed," Shikamaru replied without thinking.

Instantly he felt the unpleasant feeling of Temari banging him on the top of his head with her fan. "Shut up crybaby," she scoffed, walking ahead of him.

As he was used to Temari banging him on the head, Shikamaru merely shrugged it off and shoved his hands in his pockets. A small grin appeared on his face as he felt Irma's silver ring in his pocket. He hadn't left it for her because he wanted her to be awake when he gave it back to her. Shikamaru wanted nothing more than to see Irma smile the smile he loved so much, to see her blue eyes shining, and to hear her beautiful laugh.

Looking over his shoulder again at the hospital he smiled wider. 'I'll be with you again soon Irma, I promise.'

* * *

Elyon's vision was blurry as she opened her eyes. All she could think of was that her head was throbbing. Suddenly she remembered Madara and the battle and shot up. It had been a bad mistake as it only made her headache worse. Before the queen could plop back into her bed two strong arms caught her.

"You need to be more careful your highness," an amused voice said.

Looking up, Elyon's eyes became as big as saucers. "Caleb? What are you doing here?"

"Just looking out for my queen and the guardians while they recover," the rebel leader said with a smirk.

That's when she got a good look at the room she was in and recognized it as a hospital room. "What happened to Madara, Nerissa, and the Akatsuki?"

"They're dead. All of them. The leaf village won the fight," Caleb replied.

"What about the guardians and Kiba, Hinata, and Shino?" Elyon cried, panic beginning to creep in.

"Well glad to see you're awake," Tsunade said calmly, walking into the room. "Thank you Caleb, I'll take it from here."

It was clearly a dismissal and Caleb wasn't very thrilled about it. He stated to protest, but the Hokage sent him a look that made him decide that he really didn't want to make the older woman angry and he quickly left.

"You're the first one of your friends to wake up. Your head should feel better in a little while," The blonde woman said with a smile.

Elyon looked down, guilt ridden and unable to meet the Hokage's eyes. "Lady Tsunade, please forgive me. My friends and I, we were tricked and-"

"I know your majesty, I know," Tsunade said placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "You don't need to apologize. I was tricked by Nerissa so I am partially to blame for everything. I have no ill will towards your or the guardians."

While the younger blonde was comforted in knowing she was forgiven she wasn't completely relieved. "What about my friends are they alright?"

"Yes they're fine. You, Irma, and Hay Lin were only knocked out. Will, Taranee, and Cornelia received more serious wounds, but they'll live."

"And what happened to Ki-the guys?" Elyon asked, quickly rearranging her sentence.

A knowing smile appeared on Tsunade's face. "Everyone is fine, and you can say that you're concerned about Kiba."

The queen didn't reply, carefully lying back down on her bed. "Thank you Lady Tsunade."

"You're welcome your highness," the hokage replied.

"You don't have to call me by my title," Elyon said. "I would like it better if you just called me Elyon."

"Very well Elyon," Tsunade smiled. "I'll be back to check on you in an hour or two. If you need anything or feel nauseous please let me or one of the nurses know."

"I will thank you," the girl said with a nod. Just as the Hokage was about to walk out of the room, Elyon blurted out what she had been wondering since she woke up.

"Where are Kiba, Hinata, and Shino?"

"They and the rest of shinobi have gone to sand village with the Kazekage to get supplies to repair the damages done to the village. They'll be back in a little over a week," Tsunade replied before leaving the room.

Elyon's brow furrowed and she looked out the window of her hospital room. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they left without waiting for me to wake up. Heck I won't be surprised if they decided to never speak to me again after what I did.'

* * *

As he and his friends raced through the forest, Kiba couldn't help but be off focus.

'She's a queen. A freaking queen of all things!' he thought. 'That means she lives in a palace, has servants and a lot of fancy stuff to wear. Not to mention the guys she must see."

"K-kiba are you alright?" Hinata asked, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Not really Hinata," the dog ninja replied.

"It's Elyon isn't it?" Shino said. "You're upset that she's a queen."

"Well you would be too if you were in my shoes Shino. Think about it for a second, she's royalty for crying out loud!" Kiba cried. "She lives a grand lifestyle and probably has everything she could ever want given to her at a moment's notice. What can I offer her compared to the life she's used to?"

"You shouldn't' think like that," The Hyuuga heiress interjected. "Elyon isn't that kind of person."

"Hinata has a point. She adapted to the lifestyle of a ninja fairly quickly. For any other royal it could have been quite the challenge," Shino said with a nod of his head.

Their friend shook his head. "So what? Even if Elyon accepts me and this life, I doubt her parents will. They probably want her to marry some stuck up pretty boy prince whose never fought a day in his life."

Hinata and the bug user exchanged a glance. Now they understood where Kiba was coming from. It wasn't Elyon's title, it was the fact that he may not be allowed to have her that made him upset. The team had often seen occasions where nobles and royalty were put in arranged marriages whether for gain or for peace.

The soft spoken girl looked back at her friend. "Kiba-" She was cut off by a wave of his hand.

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore okay guys?" He said before jumping ahead of them.

Shino let out a soft sigh and looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the minute and they would all have to stop for the night soon.

"I don't think anyone is going to get much sleep tonight," he said to Hinata.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Do you think there's anything we can do to help?"

"I don't think everything is going to be fine until things are smoothed over with the girls," he replied.

Hinata sighed. "You're right."

* * *

Taranee winced from her sore body as she stretched her arms. It had been five days since the battle and her wound had been treated with efficiency. All the poison had been removed and she was recovering nicely. Tsunade even allowed her to walk around her room a little.

"Still sore?" Cornelia asked quietly from the bed next to her.

"Yeah, how are you?" the fire guardian asked.

"Same, but getting better," the blonde replied, gently touched her bandaged shoulder. "What about you Will?"

The red head was in the bed across the room and she gave a small smile. "Getting better every day."

There were a few minutes of comfortable silence between the three friends until Cornelia broke it. "I wonder how Neji, Lee, and Sasuke are doing."

"They've been gone for five days now. They're probably on their way back right now…with my brother," Will said softly.

Taranee and Cornelia gave each other worries looks. Yan Lin had told Will the truth about her family three days ago. Quite frankly the fact that Irma and Will had been adopted, and that Sasuke was Hay Lin's cousin still had yet to sink in for all the guardians and Elyon.

The three turned to the door when they heard it open and smiled with they say Irma, Hay Lin, and Elyon walking in.

"So Tsunade let you guys out huh?" Taranee asked.

Irma nodded. "Yep, unlike you guys we only hit our heads, but Tsunade did say you guys are healing faster than she thought."

"That probably has to do with our magic," The keeper said as she slowly lifted herself up on to her elbows.

"Don't strain yourself too much Will," Yan Lin said walking in next to her granddaughter. "You may be recovering fast, but that doesn't mean you'll be completely healed by tomorrow."

"Hey Yan Lin," Elyon greeted. "You said you wanted to speak with us right?"

The smile that had been on the older woman's face faded. "Yes and you all might not like what I have to tell you."

The six girls looked at her with mixed looks of curiosity and sudden nervousness. The former guardian hesitated before letting out a long sigh.

"You must all choose whether you want to stay in the village or continue to be guardians."

"WHAT!" W.I.T.C.H. shouted.

"Are you serious Yan Lin?" The queen asked in shock.

"Yes I am your highness. I'm so sorry you girls have to make this choice, but it must be done," Yan Lin said. "You don't have to decide now. You can think it over and decide on what to do together. Let me now when you decide," She said walking out the door.

Hay Lin collapsed into the chair against the wall as soon as her grandma had left. "I don't believe this."

"We all knew we would have to choose eventually Hay Lin, this shouldn't be such a shock for you," Irma said softly.

Cornelia looked at their leader. "Will what do you think?"

The girl was silent for a few seconds before she spoke. "Guys when we were fighting Madara and the Akatsuki we barely made it out alive. Even with our powers at full strength we couldn't take them on. Do you guys really think that we're cut out for this whole ninja thing?"

"Not to mention what we did to our friends," Taranee mumbled.

"They left the village right after the battle, they didn't wait for us to wake up and find out if we would be alright," the earth guardian added. "After what happened they probably won't bother to look in our direction ever again."

Elyon didn't say anything as she thought the situation over. She should have known not to get too attached to the people in the village. She had a kingdom to rule over, subjects who needed her, and she couldn't leave them behind.

It was silent for several long minutes though it felt like hours to the girls. Even though Yan Lin had told them they didn't need to make a choice quickly they all knew what it would be.

Finally Will broke the silence. "Hay Lin, can you go get Yan Lin please?"

* * *

Neji had a small smile on his face as he and his friends came closer and closer to the village. It had been seven long days away from home for him and he couldn't wait to see the gates. Of course the reason he wanted to get home so quickly was the blonde haired, sapphire eyed girl he had fallen for.

'Cornelia, I'm almost home,' he thought.

Beside him Lee was practically bursting with excitement. "Just a few more moments and I will once again see my beautiful flower of youth!" he cried.

Behind them Ino and Chouji laughed heartily at the green beast's enthusiasm. They themselves could hardly wait to get home and see how Irma was doing. All of the Konoha twelve were smiling as village gates came into view.

TenTen couldn't help but smirk at all her friends. "Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but don't forget that we all have to report to Lady Hokage before we do anything else."

Everyone sent glares at the Weapons Mistress who quickly held up her hands. "Don't give me those looks, Tsunade specifically told us to go straight to her office when we got back. Besides it's not like Will, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, and Elyon are going anywhere."

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk drinking a large glass of sake when Shizune walked in. "They're back milady."

The hokage didn't need to ask who Shizune was talking about. "Send them in."

Soon the Konoha twelve were standing in front of her and Shikamara was giving the report.

"We received plenty of supplies and volunteers who will be arriving later today so we can start repairing the damages tomorrow morning," the cloud watcher explained.

The woman nodded absentmindedly and it didn't go unnoticed be her shinobi.

"Is everything all right Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked her former teacher.

"I'm afraid not," Tsunade replied.

Instantly panic began to grow in Shikamaru. "Is Irma alright?"

Tsunade winced slightly and after a few moments she looked up at the ninja in front of her. "The guardians and Queen Elyon are fine. Thanks to their magical abilities Will, Taranee, and Cornelia recovered faster than normal and are almost completely healed."

A huge smile spread on Naruto's face. "That's awesome! Are they still at the hospital or are they back at their apartments?"

"Yes they're out of the hospital, but…they are no longer in the Leaf Village," the hokage said.

She didn't dare look at the ninja but she could picture their faces easily.

"What do you mean they aren't in the leaf village?" Sasuke demanded.

"Two days ago the girls decided to go back to their own world and left with the Meridian army and the former guardians," Tsunade explained.

She heard Naruto give a nervous laugh. "Yeah, but they went to just clear everything with their parents right? When are they coming back?"

Again the blonde winced. "That's the thing. They won't be coming back. They left for good this time."

Finally looking up at their faces, her heart tightened with sympathy. It was worse than it had been when they'd thought the girls had betrayed them.

After several pain filled minutes they all slowly turned and left the room and Tsunade didn't call them back. Feeling moisture beginning to gather in her eyes she slammed her fist on the desk. **"SHIZUNE, MORE SAKE NOW!"**

* * *

Almost in a haze, Sasuke walked to the training grounds where he and Will had used to spar. He stopped under the large tree where the two of them used to sit and talk after training while eating bright red tomatoes.

'Will have you forgotten the times we spent here and the way you used to smile whenever you were around me,' he thought.

Like a flood visions of the redhead came to his mind. He saw Will glaring at him defiantly when he had woken her up at four in the morning. He remembered her concern for him after he had been injured while saving her from falling off the cliffs. He saw her blushing face the day she fallen on top of him. He saw her amazement when he had taken her to his home. Finally he saw her smiling when he had confessed his feelings for her.

That's when the realization of it came crashing down on him. Will was gone and this time she wasn't coming back to him.

Collapsing to his knees Sasuke Uchiha did something that he hadn't done since his brother's death and cried for the pain and loss that he felt knowing that he would never see Will's face again.

* * *

With a heavy heart Will walked through the streets of Heatherfield towards her apartment. Looking at the city around her, it was strange to think that she had only been gone for five short months.

'Has it really been that short a time?' she thought. 'It feels like I haven't seen this place in years.'

After leaving the village, she had her friends had spent a day in Meridian to compose themselves before returning to Heatherfield. Yan Lin had helped them find their astral drops and they had absorbed them so they would know what they missed in their time away.

She felt sympathy for Irma, knowing that the water guardian was going home to a family that she had been adopted into. She knew it was going to be a while before Irma was able to get over it. Will understood that perfectly. She herself was adopted after all.

Reaching her apartment, Will took a deep breath and opened the door. "Mom?"

"Hello Will, how was school today?" Susan asked.

The redhead gulped fighting back her emotions. "It was fine."

Susan cocked her head to the side as she examined her daughter. "Will are you alright?"

"Yeah just tired," the guardian lied.

Her mom nodded, though Will could still see some suspicion in her face. "Why don't you go lay down for a while. Dinner will be ready in a few hours."

Eager to get away from her mom, the girl quickly walked to her bedroom. As she collapsed onto the familiar bed and looked at the friendly faces of the frogs clustered around her room she closed her eyes trying to will herself not to think about anything.

"I'm home, I'm home, I'm home, I'm home," she muttered over and over again. The only thing was it didn't feel like she was home.

Squeezing her eyes tighter she tried to keep them in, but a few tears succeeded in slipping down her checks.

Across Heatherfield each of the guardians was reunited with her family and like Will they all tried to convince themselves that they were home. But they all knew that it would be a while before it felt like home again.

They could only hope that the time they had spent in the village, the friends they had made and the love they had felt would became nothing more than a simple memory.

_END OF STORY_

**W.I.T.C.H. fan: Okay admit it; you all hate me right now. Not how you guys thought it was going to end huh? Well I hoped you enjoyed it anyway. For the record there may be a little somethin' in the future for you guys. See ya and thanks again for staying with Naruto and the Guardians. It was a blast! **


	31. BIG IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**BIG IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE**

**Hey readers I have some news that will make you all very happy. There will be a sequel to Naruto and the Guardians! I've been planning it since before I finished the first story so I was rather pleased to see all of you demanding a sequel in your reviews. I'm thinking about putting it up this weekend what do you think. My guess is you guys are all thinking 'The sooner the better.' ;) Well anyways it will be called 'Love Never Dies' and it will be up in a few days so that gives you something to look forward to. Also if there are any little things you want me to throw in like what somebody could say or a little situation they are put in, please feel free to tell me.**


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